Christ's  Valedictory 


Christ's  Valedictory 


OR 


Meditations  on  the  Four- 
teenth Chapter  of  John 


BY 


/ 


REV.  ROBERT  F.  SAMPLE 

D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

Author  of  "  Memoir  of  J.  C.  Thotn,^^  "  Beacon 
Lights  of  the  Reformation  j^  etc.,  etc. 


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VITA  ttuni 


New  York        Chicago        Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1900 

by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


TO   MY   SPTRITTAL   CHUTREX 

5CATTESXD    ABROAD 

DEARLY   EELO\-ED   AND   LONGED   FOR 

THESE   MEDITATIOrS   ON   THE   WORDS  OF  JESUS 

ARE  AFFECTIONATELY 

BY  THE    AUTHWl 


Preface 

Among  all  the  recorded  utterances  of  Jesus  there 
are  none  of  deeper  significance,  in  spirit  more  af- 
fectionate and  in  comfort  more  abounding,  than 
those  spoken  by  Him  at  the  Last  Supper.  They 
constitute  our  Lord's  valedictory  to  His  immediate 
disciples,  and  to  believers  in  all  ages  who  wait  for 
His  second  glorious  Epiphany.  This  farewell  ad- 
dress is  an  epitome  of  the  gospel.  It  magnifies  the 
Father's  love,  the  efficacy  of  the  cross,  and  the 
gracious  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  It  meets  every 
experience  of  Christians  on  their  way  to  God.  It 
sets  forth  the  necessity  of  holy  obedience,  of  faith 
and  love,  and  patient  waiting  for  Christ's  return. 
It  is  so  simple  that  little  children  can  understand 
it;  so  profound  that  it  taxes  the  mightiest  intel- 
lects; so  comprehensive  that  all  the  ages  cannot 
exhaust  its  fullness.  No  wonder  the  place  it  occu- 
pies in  the  gospel  of  the  beloved  disciple  is  styled 
the  Holy  of  Holies,  and  that  believers  young  in 
piety  and  years,  with  aged  saints  listening  for  the 
sounding  of  Jesus'  feet,  and  those  in  each  inter- 
mediate stage  of  Christian  progress,  have  devoutly 
turned  to  this  parting  message;  and,  as  they  de- 
voutly meditated   upon   it,  have  found  their  joy 

7 


8  Preface 

intensified,  their  love  enkindled,  their  weakness 
supported,  their  sorrow  relieved,  and  their  hope 
inspired  ;  both  in  the  dark  and  cloudy  day,  and  at 
the  eventide  of  life. 

May  the  prayerful  study  of  these  last  words  of 
Jesus  be  profitable  to  our  souls;  enlarging  our 
spiritual  being,  increasing  our  efficiency  in  Chris- 
tian service,  and  making  us  more  heavenly-minded ; 
thus  preparing  us  for  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the 
Lamb. 

Nnt)  York. 


Contents 

CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  A  Message  to  the  Troubled  .        .     1 1 
11.  The  Many  Mansions      .         .         .27 

III.  The  Way,  the  Truth  and  the  Life,     43 

IV.  Philip's  Ignorance         .         .         .61 
V.  Christ's  Oneness  with  THE  Father,     75 

VI.  Greater  Works  than  Christ's      .     95 

VII.  Prayer  and  Its  Answer  .         .109 

VIII.  Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  .   127 

IX.  The  Comforter     .         .         .         .145 

X.  The  Comforter, — Continued        .   163 

XL  Our  Life  the  Fruit  of   Christ's 

Life 177 

XII.  Christ  Manifesting  Himself  .         .  193 

XIII.  The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher  and 

Remembrancer      .         .         .         .213 

XIV.  Christ's  Legacy     .         .         .         .231 
XV.  Christ's  Gifts         .         .         .         .251 

XVI.  Christ's  Return  to  the  Father  an 

Occasion  of  Rejoicing        .         .267 
XVII.  On  to  Golgotha     .         .         .         .281 
XVIII.  Our  Going  Hence  .        .        .        .293 
9 


A  MESSAGE  TO  THE  TROUBLED 


Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled:  Ye  believe  in  God,  believe 
also  in  me. — John  xiv.  i. 

You  never  get  to  the  end  of  Chrisfs  words.  There  is 
something  in  them  always  behind.  They  pass  into  proverbs^ 
they  pass  into  laws,  they  pass  into  doctrines,  they  pass  into 
consolations ;  but  they  never  pass  away,  and  after  all  the 
use  that  is  made  ofthe77t  they  are  still  not  exhausted. 

— Dean  Stanley. 


I 

A  MESSAGE  TO  THE  TROUBLED 

Christ's  valedictory  was  spoken  at  a  late  hour 
on  the  night  of  the  Passover.  The  religious  so- 
lemnity in  which  the  Jews  were  engaged,  was  the 
most  impressive  of  all  their  holy  feasts.  It  was  a 
memorial  of  divine  favor,  of  deliverance  from  evil, 
and  a  promise  of  good  in  years  to  come.  Voices 
of  cheer  were  heard  on  every  side ;  and  the  whole 
life  of  Jerusalem  seemed  to  pulsate  with  gladness. 
But  there  were  other  events  transpiring  which  threw 
a  heavy  shadow  over  the  scene,  although  it  may 
not  have  disturbed  the  prevalent  joy.  Wicked  men 
were  plotting  the  death  of  Jesus ;  and  a  little  group 
of  Galileans,  assembled  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the 
city,  were  disquieted  and  sad. 

Christ's  departure  was  at  hand.  Calvary,  with 
all  its  tragic  events,  was  only  a  little  further  on. 
The  memorial  supper,  to  be  observed  until  the 
Lord's  return,  setting  forth  the  manner  and  design 
of  His  death,  was  ended.  The  Hallel  had  been 
sung,  the  service  of  song  thus  sanctified  by  our 
Lord  Himself,  and  the  Master  and  His  disciples 
were  about  to  go  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
Then  was  spoken  Christ's  affectionate  valedictory; 

«3 


14  Christ's    Valedictory 

that  portion  of  Evangelical  history  which  may  be 
appropriately  styled  the  crown  of  all  His  teaching. 

Special  interest  attaches  to  the  last  utterances  of 
men,  especially  those  of  men  who  have  been  dis- 
tinguished for  worth  and  potential  deeds.  Their 
words  have  been  caught  in  their  passage,  and  ster- 
eotyped in  the  literature  of  the  world  and  of  the 
ages.  But  as  Christ  was  preeminently  great,  and 
His  work  infinitely  important,  the  significance  of 
His  parting  message  is  lifted  far  above  the  level 
of  human  speech.  As  we  read  it,  breathing  forth 
an  unexampled  tenderness,  expressing  the  greatest 
truths  that  ever  engaged  human  thought,  kindling 
a  light  to  shine  in  every  dark  passage  of  Christian 
experience,  putting  the  arms  of  everlasting  strength 
underneath  human  weakness,  drawing  aside  the 
veil  which  conceals  the  heavenly  life,  and  inspiring 
a  longing  to  go  home  to  God ;  we  unhesitatingly 
say,  '<  Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  No  won- 
der that  Christians  young  and  old,  the  happy  and 
the  sad,  in  high  places  and  in  low,  often  read  this 
precious  valedictory,  always  discovering  in  it  some- 
thing fresh  and  new,  its  fullness  more  inexhaustible 
than  Jacob's  Well,  and  its  compass  wider  than  the  sea. 

*'  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  :  Ye  believe  in 
God,  believe  also  in  Me."  There  is  another  ren- 
dering of  the  passage,  the  imperative  being  used  in 
both  clauses.  ''Believe  in  God,  believe  also  in 
Me."  This  interpretation  has  large  support;  so 
also  has  the  common  version,  which  is  to  be  pre- 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled       16 

ferred.  The  latter  seems  more  in  harmony  with 
the  state  of  mind  which  Christ  addressed,  and  with 
the  instruction  that  follows.  The  disciples,  in  com- 
mon with  the  Jewish  nation,  were  unqualified  the- 
ists.  They  had  not  discovered  the  veiled  glory  of 
Christ's  person  and  His  oneness  with  the  Father. 
There  gathered  a  mystery  about  Him  they  could 
not  penetrate.  His  works  were  a  constant  marvel. 
His  words  were  matchless.  His  life  was  above  the 
realm  of  men.  He  was  greater  than  Moses.  They 
thought  Him  a  prophet  sent  from  God,  possessed 
also  of  regal  prerogatives,  and  destined  to  restore 
the  Kingdom  to  Israel.  Their  view  of  Him  was 
far  too  low.  They  needed  a  wider  horizon  of 
truth.  Hence  Jesus  said,  *'Ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  Me."     Observe, 

I.     The  disciples  were  troubled. 

There  seemed  abundant  reason  for  their  state  of 
mind.  The  darkness  deepened  with  the  advancing 
hours.  Never  had  they  known  such  a  breaking  up 
of  all  the  foundations  of  hope.  Faith  trembled  on 
the  verge  of  exhaustion.  They  were  like  the  Gali- 
lean Lake  when  the  storm  swept  down  from  the  cold 
summits  of  Mt.  Hermon.  They  had  just  learned 
that  Judas  would  betray  the  Master,  that  Peter 
would  deny  Him,  and  that  Jesus  would  go  away ; 
and  they,  orphaned  and  disappointed,  were  to  go 
out,  as  they  supposed,  on  an  unknown  future  with- 
out counsellor  or  guide,  to  suffer,  and,  perchance, 
soon  to  die. 


16  Christ's    Valedictory 

Then,  too,  there  was  something  in  the  manner 
of  Christ,  the  expression  of  His  countenance  and 
the  tones  of  His  voice,  which  was  an  intimation 
of  an  indefinable  and  immeasurable  sorrow  about 
to  come  to  Him ;  and,  in  some  way,  involving 
themselves.  They  had  entered  the  evening  twi- 
light. They  were  sitting  in  the  shadows  of  great 
events  and  could  not  tell  what  an  hour  might  bring 
forth.  Troubled  !  How  could  it  be  otherwise  ? 
Their  sorrow  so  weighed  on  the  sympathy  of  Christ 
that  He  quite  forgot  His  own. 

The  remedy  for  this  state  of  mind  was  faith. 
Hence  after  our  Lord  had  addressed  Peter,  fore- 
shadowing his  great  offence,  there  was  a  pause, 
solemn  as  eternity  itself,  until  Jesus  broke  the  silence 
by  an  extended  valedictory. 

2.  The  disciples  needed  an  extension  and  in- 
crease of  faith.  *<  Believe  also  in  Me."  They  be- 
lieved in  God.  They  believed  in  the  Holy  Spirit. 
They  had  long  been  familiar  with  the  predictions 
concerning  the  Messiah.  But  they  had  misinter- 
preted prophecy.  The  light  was  dim,  and  objects 
were  indistinct.  They  needed  to  know  more ;  and, 
with  growth  in  knowledge,  would  come  an  increase 
of  faith.  Jesus  had  provided  for  this.  Pentecost 
was  not  far  away.  The  eternal  Spirit,  who  had 
been  the  source  of  all  the  spiritual  life  and  power 
the  chosen  seed  had  ever  known,  was  soon  to  widen 
the  sphere  and  intensify  the  energy  of  His  work. 
The  disciples  will  then  believe  also  in  Christ.    They 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled       17 

will  learn  much  concerning  His  glory  and  grace, 
through  the  tutelage  of  the  Spirit  whose  office  it  is 
to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  show  them  unto 
His  people. 

It  is  not  enough  to  believe  in  God.  This  was 
sufficient  in  an  unfallen  state  to  secure  from  trouble, 
but  it  cannot  cure  trouble.  Martin  Luther  said, 
"An  absolute  God  avails  me  nothing."  Theism 
must  be  merged  in  Christianity.  God  must  be 
manifested  in  Christ,  or,  as  Bengel  expresses  it, 
"the  ancient  faith  in  God  must  be  dyed  with  a 
new  color,  by  their  believing  in  Him  who  came 
from  God."  Apart  from  Jesus,  in  covenant  rela- 
tionship and  in  His  incarnation,  we  find  no  comfort 
in  the  contemplation  of  God's  majesty,  holiness, 
and  inflexible  justice.  Until  we  see  Him  in  Christ, 
declaring  His  love  to  us  by  His  unspeakable  gift ; 
in  the  humiliation,  shame  and  death,  for  our  sakes, 
of  His  only  begotten  Son ;  supporting  Him  in  His 
conflict  with  death  and  hell ;  raising  Him  from  the 
dead  and  enthroning  Him  on  high;  we  cannot 
venture  near  His  throne,  nor  can  we  find  encour- 
agement to  lay  our  burdens  at  His  feet. 

God  is  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto 
Himself.  He  is  in  Him,  comforting  us  in  every 
trial,  supporting  us  under  every  cross,  defending 
us  from  every  foe,  and  making  all  His  providences 
contribute  to  our  present  and  eternal  good.  It  is 
when  God  and  His  equal  Son  come  unto  us,  and 
make  their  abode  with  us,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  re- 


18  Christ's   Valedictory 

veals  both,  that  we  are  able  to  sing  songs  in  the 
night,  and,  by  faith,  to  bring  much  of  heaven  down 
to  earth,  to  be  enjoyed  all  along  the  homeward 
journey. 

Let  us  observe  here  that  Christ,  throughout  this 
entire  address,  constantly  urges  the  necessity  of 
faith  in  Himself.  The  comfort,  usefulness,  and 
final  salvation  of  His  followers,  depend  on  their 
believing  on  Him  as  one  with  the  Father,  and  as 
the  only  sufficient  Saviour  from  sin  and  guilt  and 
fear.  At  length  He  has  accomplished  His  imme- 
diate purpose.  They  believe.  Then  He  ceases 
to  speak,  closes  His  discourse  with  prayer,  and 
they  go  out  to  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

And  as  we  study  the  life  of  the  disciples  after 
Christ's  ascension,  we  are  impressed  with  their  un- 
wavering faith  in  Him.  They  even  rejoiced  in 
tribulation.  They  were  persuaded  that  their  af- 
flictions would  issue  in  glory.  It  mattered  nothing 
to  them  whether  the  way  was  smooth  or  rough, 
whether  the  days  were  bright  or  dark,  whether 
they  came  to  honor  or  were  cast  out  by  men  ; 
they  trusted  in  their  wise  leader,  and,  with  their 
hands  in  His,  went  joyfully  wherever  He  led,  wait- 
ing for  the  glad  coronation  day. 

But  these  words  of  Christ  are  addressed  to  us,  as 
certainly  as  they  were  to  His  immediate  disciples. 
His  omniscience  embraced  us  while  He  was  in  that 
upper  room,  while  among  the  shadows  of  Geth- 
semane,    on   the  cross,   and  in  the  cloud -chariot 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled        19 

which  carried  Him  above,  where,  still  remember- 
ing Calvary,  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 
for  us. 

The  Christian  life  is  one  of  habitual  peaceful- 
ness ;  yet  we  are  often  troubled.  There  are  con- 
stitutional states,  and  spiritual  conditions,  and 
social  environments,  which  modify  religious  ex- 
perience ;  but  there  is  no  absolute  exemption  from 
trouble.  The  way  to  heaven  leads  through  the 
Red  Sea  and  the  Wilderness.  The  way  that  all 
the  generations  of  the  saints  have  trod,  is  the  path 
over  which  we  are  now  going. 

The  conflicts  of  the  Christian  life  often  depress 
us.  There  are  two  contending  principles  within 
us,  each  striving  for  the  mastery.  The  soul  is  a 
silent  battlefield,  where  armies  march  and  counter- 
march and  resist  each  other.  This  inward  struggle 
may  write  its  history  on  our  persons,  look  out 
through  our  eyes,  reveal  itself  in  the  tones  of  our 
voices,  and  in  the  words  we  speak.  There  may  be 
experiences  which  are  known  only  unto  God  and 
ourselves,  which  weigh  down  our  hearts,  dig  chan- 
nels on  our  faces  for  tears,  and  sometimes  lead  us 
to  the  very  borders  of  despair. 

It  is  to  this  experience  that  Paul  refers  when  he 
speaks  of  the  law  in  the  members  warring  against 
the  law  in  the  mind,  and  in  the  thickest  of  the 
conflict  exclaims,  *'0  wretched  man  that  I  am; 
who  shall  deliver  from  the  body  of  this  death?" 
He  was  reminded  of  the  custom  of  certain  tyrants 


20  Christ's    Valedictory 

who  bound  a  dead  body  to  the  living  prisoner,  and 
compelled  him  to  live  in  that  loathsome  presence. 
We  know  what  this  means.  This  is  the  Valley  of 
Humiliation,  and  ApoUyon  is  our  foe.  Weary  and 
wounded,  we  are  sore  distressed.  Even  if,  through 
grace,  we  have  been  enabled  to  resist  every  tempta- 
tion to  sin ;  yet  the  suggestions  of  evil  disturb  us, 
and  we  are  quite  sure  to  hold  ourselves  responsible 
for  them,  thus  inducing  a  painful  and  unwarranted 
sense  of  guilt. 

Meanwhile  we  are  disturbed  by  the  evidences  of 
remaining  sin.  It  is  possible  for  a  perfectly  holy 
being  to  be  tempted.  We  are  reminded  of  Christ's 
wilderness  experience.  But  we  discover  a  tendency 
in  ourselves  to  respond  to  the  appeals  of  sin.  We 
are  often  exhausted  by  the  resistance  to  temptation, 
sorely  needing  the  ministrations  of  grace  to  uphold 
us.  The  view  we  obtain  of  our  hearts  is  humbling 
and  sad. 

Then  there  come  the  hidings  of  God's  face.  We 
have  been  off  our  guard,  and  temptations  have 
overcome  us.  We  spake  unadvisedly  with  our 
lips.  Some  sinful  passion  gained  the  mastery. 
Some  act,  which  gave  the  world  occasion  to  blas- 
pheme, and  well-nigh  destroyed  our  usefulness,  left 
its  slime  upon  us.  The  first  result  may  have  been 
obduracy  and  impenitence.  Like  Peter,  we  re- 
peated our  denial  of  the  Lord.  Then  all  was  dark, 
for  God  was  gone.  Communion  with  Him  was  a 
memory  only.     The  spirit,  if  not  the  language,  of 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled        21 

prayer  had  departed.  The  Hght  faded  away ;  peace 
and  hope  had  well-nigh  fled.  Ah,  who  can  fathom 
the  bitterness  of  such  experience  ?  It  is  more  to 
be  feared  than  death  itself.  It  is  of  the  nature  of 
eternal  torment.  We  do  not  realize  that  it  is  only 
for  a  little  moment  that  God  has  forsaken  us. 

Then  there  are  experiences  that  are  less  painful, 
that  may  still  suffice  to  cloud  our  spirits.  They 
are  the  disappointments  of  life,  the  defeat  of  cher- 
ished plans,  the  loss  of  worldly  possessions,  the 
unredeemed  promises  of  some  one  on  whom  we 
had  leaned,  perhaps  the  breaking  of  the  marriage 
vow  and  the  sudden  termination  of  domestic  happi- 
ness, every  human  prospect  wrapt  in  gloom,  and 
the  gardens  our  fancy  had  created,  turned  into 
locust-blackened  wildernesses.  Or  bereavements 
crowd  upon  us.  Joseph  is  not,  and  Simeon  is  not, 
and  Benjamin  carries  a  hectic  flush  which  fore- 
bodes an  early  death.  Or  we  are  disturbed  by  the 
thought  of  our  own  departure.  We  shrink  from 
the  last  struggle,  the  darkness  and  corruption  of 
the  grave,  and  the  solemn  issues  of  an  approach- 
ing judgment. 

Now  let  us  listen  to  the  words  of  Jesus,  who 
enters  the  inmost  chamber  of  our  grief,  and,  in  a 
tenderness  peculiar  to  Himself  says,  "  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled  :  Ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also 
in  Me."  There  is  no  sorrow  He  cannot  alleviate 
and  ultimately  heal.  If  we  will  but  come  into 
right  relations  to  Him;  sin  rejected  and  holiness 


22  Christ's    Valedictory 

sought,  our  hearts  fully  set  within  us  to  do  His 
will,  at  any  cost ;  then  He  will  grant  us  the  abun- 
dant consolations  of  His  grace,  and  give  us  gar- 
ments of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness. 

Jesus  will  sustain  us  in  the  conflict  with  tempters 
and  temptations,  and  assure  us  of  a  triumph  over 
both.  He  will  subdue  the  sin  within  us ;  helping 
us  day  by  day  to  rise  above  its  control,  and  making 
us  increasingly  like  to  Himself.  He  will  dissipate 
the  clouds  that  shut  out  the  view  of  our  Heavenly 
Father's  face ;  tell  us  of  the  grace  that  multiplies 
pardon ;  relieve  the  doubt  which  a  struggling  faith 
resisted,  and  grant  us  visions  of  heaven.  He  will 
make  all  our  disappointments,  failures,  bereave- 
ments and  fears,  the  stepping-stones  of  a  joyful 
ascent. 

Only  believe  Him,  beloved,  and  faith  will  shorten 
the  night,  and  cover  the  firmament,  meanwhile, 
with  stars.  Your  vision  shall  look  beyond  all  visi- 
ble worlds,  and  contemplate  heaven  with  its  glories 
and  joys ;  and  the  afflictions  of  this  life  shall  sink 
into  nothingness  as  compared  with  the  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory. 

Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.  Believe  the 
promises  Christ  has  left  you.  Expect  great  things, 
and  urge  your  way  toward  them.  Believe  in  His 
presence,  and  enter  into  it,  for  has  He  not  said,  *'  I 
will  never  leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee"?  Go 
trustfully  out  on  the  unknown  future  remembering 
His  word,  "  I  will  guide  thee  with  Mine  eye." 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled        23 

"  The  steps  of  Faith 
Fall  on  the  seeming  void  and  find 
The  Rock  beneath." 

A  German  picture  represents  a  child  walking 
calmly  along  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  and  you  won- 
der at  the  representation  of  composure  on  the  beau- 
tiful face  until  you  see  the  outline  of  an  angel  hov- 
ering above,  its  hands  on  the  shoulders  of  the  child, 
guiding  it  safely  on.  Jesus  is  greater  than  the  chief 
of  angels;  more  thoughtful,  more  sympathetic, 
mightier  than  Gabriel ;  and  He  will  never  desert 
you.  None  shall  ever  pluck  you  out  of  His  hands. 
Not  one  of  all  His  people,  even  the  least  deserving, 
shall  fail  to  enter  His  heaven  and  share  His  glory, 
world  without  end. 

From  all  this  we  learn 

I .     The  sympathy  of  Christ. 

Remember  that  these  appropriate  words  were 
spoken  by  our  Lord  the  same  night  on  which  He 
was  betrayed.  It  may  seem  strange  to  us  that  His 
mind  was  not  wholly  absorbed  by  suggestions  of  His 
approaching  death.  Could  His  disciples  have  re- 
proached Him  if  He  had  retreated  into  the  sanctuary 
of  His  great  sorrow  and  closed  the  door  behind  Him, 
there  girding  Himself  for  the  death  to  be  endured 
for  their  sakes  ?  But  Jesus'  sympathy,  like  His  na- 
ture, knew  no  bounds.  Wherever  there  was  pain 
or  sorrow,  thither  it  went;  calming  and  soothing 
the  troubled  soul.  His  sympathy  took  Him  to 
Jairus'  home,  where  mourners  wept  for  the  ruler's 


24  Christ's   Valedictory 

daughter ;  to  the  gate  of  Nain,  as  the  funeral  pro- 
cession came  out ;  to  Bethany,  when  Lazarus  was 
dead.  So  His  sympathy  embraced  the  sorrow- 
ing disciples,  and  He  was  intent  on  comforting 
them. 

This  sympathy  of  Christ  finds  expression  in  every 
age,  and  extends  to  all  the  experiences  of  trial. 
He  enters  into  our  temptations,  conflicts,  bereave- 
ments, and  urgent  wants.  His  heart  touches  our 
hearts.  His  left  hand  is  under  our  head,  and  His 
right  hand  embraces  us.  He  bends  over  our  beds 
of  pain,  and,  with  His  lips  close  to  our  ears,  that  we 
may  not  fail  to  hear,  He  bids  us  trust  in  Him  and  be 
at  rest.  **  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither 
let  it  be  afraid." 

Touch  the  sensitive  plant,  never  so  gently,  and 
at  once  the  leaves  fold  themselves  together,  each 
one  helping  to  shelter  all  the  rest  from  harm.  So 
if  any  trouble  comes  to  you,  believer,  Christ's  sym- 
pathy hides  you  away  in  the  shelter  of  His  bosom. 
Titian,  the  Roman  Emperor,  rent  his  garments  that 
he  might  stanch  the  wounds  of  his  soldiers ;  but 
Christ  rends  His  flesh  that  He  may  heal  ours.  He 
pours  His  sympathy  into  our  tempest-tossed  souls, 
calming  them  as  His  word,  "Peace,  be  still," 
quieted  the  stormy  Galilean  Lake.  Believe  it,  and 
open  your  hearts  that  He  may  enter.  Do  not  at- 
tempt to  carry  your  trouble  alone.  Do  not  brood 
over  it,  and  nurse  it,  dwelling  continually  in  the 
tombs ;  but  permit  Jesus  to  overlay  it  with  the  palm 


A  Message  to  the  Troubled        25 

of  His  compassion,  and  to  let  fall  upon  it  the  light 
of  the  approaching  heaven. 

2.  Let  us  cultivate  Christian  sympathy.  Sym- 
pathy is  Christlike.  In  its  exercise  we  walk  over 
paths  familiar  to  Him  whose  sacred  footprints  marked 
the  way  to  heaven.  Nothing  that  we  can  do  will 
so  lighten  our  burdens,  as  to  share  the  burdens  of 
others.  John  Howard  pronounced  compassionate 
ministry  the  best  remedy  for  a  heavy  heart.  It 
brings  down  a  segment  of  heaven  into  the  troubled 
sea  of  our  own  lives ;  a  quiet  resting-place,  undis- 
turbed by  fear,  when  oceans  roar  and  mountains 
shake. 

But  we  are  not  like  Christ,  who  fed  the  hungry 
in  the  wilderness,  if  we  can  enjoy  our  feasts  while 
hunger  lies  on  the  doorstep ;  or  the  voices  of  mu- 
sic, when  the  plaint  of  sorrow  is  on  the  air ;  or  our 
health,  when  our  neighbor  is  racked  with  pain; 
unless  we  have  first  ministered  to  the  famishing, 
and  sought  to  comfort  the  sad,  and  watched  awhile 
with  the  sufferer,  pointing  to  the  land  where  suffer- 
ing is  unknown.  "Bear  ye  one  another's  burdens 
and  so  fulfill  the  law  of  Christ."  Seeker  has  well 
said,  **It  should  be  among  Christians,  as  among 
lute  strings ;  when  one  is  touched  the  others  trem- 
ble." 

«  Speak  gently — 'tis  a  little  thing 
Dropped  in  the  heart's  deep  wellj 
The  good,  the  joy  that  it  may  bring 
Eternity  shall  tell." 


MANY  MANSIONS 


In  My  Father's  house  are  many  mansions  :  if  it  were  not 
so,  I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you. 
— John  xiv.  2. 

Very  often  when  the  eyes  are  closing  in  death,  and  this 
world  is  shutting  off  the  light  from  the  departing  soul,  the 
last  wish  which  is  made  audible  is  '<  to  go  home.^'  The  words 
break  out  sometimes  through  the  cloud  of  delirium  ;  but  it  is 
the  souVs  deepest  and  most  central  want,  groping  after  its 
object,  haply  soon  to  find  it  as  the  clogs  of  earth  clear  away^ 
and  she  springs  upon  the  line  of  swift  affection,  as  the  bee 
with  unerring  precision  shoots  through  the  dusk  of  evening 
to  her  cell.—'^YN.  E.  Sears,  D.  D. 


II 

MANY  MANSIONS 

Jesus  had  gently  rebuked  the  sorrow  of  His  dis- 
ciples. They  were  greatly  troubled,  and  thought 
they  had  reason  to  be.  The  Master  was  soon  to  go 
away.  All  that  they  had  cherished  and  hoped 
for,  was  departing  as  the  light  when  the  sun  is  set- 
ting. It  would  be  possible  to  bear  the  grief  which 
endures  but  for  a  night ;  but,  so  far  as  they  can 
see,  there  is  no  prospect  of  a  morning.  No  kin- 
dlings of  light  along  the  hills  foretell  another  and 
better  day.  They  discern  the  dim  outlines  of  a 
cross,  but  see  no  empty  sepulchre  beyond  it;  a 
Messiah  crowned  with  thorns,  but  no  royal  diadem 
displacing  the  symbol  of  shame;  a  little  church 
crushed  under  the  heel  of  the  Sanhedrim,  and 
thrust  through  with  Roman  spears,  but  no  glorious 
triumph,  and  world-wide  victory,  no  spiritual  king- 
dom which  shall  outlive  the  throne  and  dominion 
of  the  Caesars. 

Shortsighted  disciples !  Slow  of  heart  to  be- 
lieve !  But  to  reproach  them  is  to  pronounce  our 
own  condemnation.  Christ  compassionates  them. 
He  seeks  to  lighten  their  burden,  and  adapts  His 
message  to  their  need.  True,  He  is  about  to  go 
29 


30  Christ's    Valedictory 

away.  The  shifting  home  of  which  He  was  the 
head,  is  soon  to  be  broken  up.  But  to  them  the 
outlook  would  not  be  dark  if  they  would  only  be- 
lieve in  Him.  Then,  without  any  promises  added 
to  promises  already  given,  they  would  meet  the 
gathering  storm  without  fear,  and  expect  that  He 
who  made  the  worlds,  and  filled  the  universal 
throne,  would  bring  light  out  of  darkness,  life  out 
of  death,  and  incomparable  glory  as  a  recompense 
for  present  suffering. 

"In  My  Father's  House  are  many  mansions." 
These  words  suggest,  i.  The  homefulness  of 
heaven. 

Our  dwelling  shall  be  in  our  Father's  House. 
All  the  occupants  will  be  brethren.  There  will 
exist  all  the  offices  of  friendliness,  the  fullness  of 
affection,  the  community  of  interest,  and  the  per- 
manence of  relationship,  necessary  to  constitute 
heaven  a  home. 

There  is  no  other  description  of  the  heavenly  life 
that  so  accords  with  our  soul's  yearnings,  and 
promises  to  supply  so  fully  our  profoundest  need, 
as  that  which  represents  its  homefulness.  This 
feature  is  the  perfection  of  the  earthly  life,  the 
summit  of  human  bliss.  Home  is  the  place  where 
no  disguise  is  worn,  no  deception  practiced,  no 
enmity  cherished.  Here  hearts  are  sure  of  each 
other.  Confidence  is  neither  restrained  nor  abused. 
Sorrow  is  shared,  burdens  distributed,  joys  multi- 
plied. 


The  Many  Mansions  31 

When  in  a  foreign  country,  we  count  over  the 
days  that  separate  us  from  home,  and  the  lessening 
number  increases  our  pleasure.  We  may  enjoy 
historic  scenes,  majestic  mountains,  and  beautiful 
valleys ;  Damascus,  Mount  Lebanon,  the  exquisite 
Chamouni,  through  which  flows  the  Arve ;  but  our 
hearts  long  for  home,  and  Sandy  Hook  is  far  more 
to  us  than  the  Bay  of  Naples,  for  it  welcomes  us  to 
our  native  shore.  The  feeling  is  natural.  The 
sentiment  is  elevating.  There  is  something,  and 
there  may  be  much,  of  heaven  in  it.  We  have 
gone  down  in  every  attribute  of  manhood,  and  de- 
parted from  the  source  of  the  purest  earthly  de- 
light, if  we  prefer  the  Club  Room  to  the  family 
hearth,  with  its  holier  cheer;  as,  in  a  period  of 
social  degeneracy  in  England,  many  who  held 
places  of  power  spent  their  evenings  at  the  Grecian 
or  the  Rainbow,  rather  than  in  the  homes  on  Fleet 
Street  or  Chancery  Lane. 

Our  divine  Lord  loved  His  home  in  Nazareth, 
and  there  nearly  all  His  life  was  spent ;  and  when 
the  necessities  of  His  high  office  took  Him  to  Jeru- 
salem, He  found  and  enjoyed,  for  its  helpfulness 
and  love,  another  home  in  Bethany.  When  He 
left  this  world  He  did  not  take  His  departure  from 
the  steps  of  Antonia's  Castle,  or  from  the  seats  of 
fashionable  pleasure  in  King  Herod's  city,  but  from 
the  hillside  which  looked  down  on  the  village  of 
Martha,  her  sister  and  Lazarus ;  and  the  last  object 
that  engaged  His  attention,  when  about  to  go  away, 


32  Christ's    Valedictory 

was  the  earthly  home  that  had  sheltered  Him  from 
harm  and  girdled  Him  with  love.  The  homeful- 
ness  of  heaven  attracts  us.  It  promises  rest,  help- 
ful ministries,  sweet  communings,  and  sanctified 
affection  which  shall  never  falter  nor  fail. 

2.  The  next  characteristic  of  heaven  which 
deserves  special  mention  is, — Its  permanence, — 

*'InMy  Father's  house  are  many  mansions." 
The  original  carries  the  idea  of  stability,  and  might 
be  rendered,  "abiding-places."  The  fashion  of 
this  world  passeth  away.  Change  and  decay,  wast- 
ing and  destruction,  follow  each  other  in  rapid 
succession. 

When  a  noted  conqueror,  after  a  series  of  bril- 
liant victories,  entered  his  own  city,  amid  the 
shouts  of  his  admiring  people,  he  was  asked  what 
was  needed  to  perfect  his  happiness.  He  answered 
by  one  significant  word — "  Continuance."  Here 
our  homes  are  transient.  They  are  like  the  patri- 
arch's shifting  tent.  Scenes  we  love  are  left  behind 
us.  Relationships  we  cherish  come  to  an  end. 
The  law  of  primogeniture  was  partly  born  of  a  de- 
sire for  continuance.  It  would  at  least  perpetuate 
the  family  name  in  connection  with  the  home ;  and 
the  ancestral  mansion,  rather  than  a  mausoleum, 
would  preserve  the  memory  of  them  who  are  gone. 

It  was  this  sentiment  that  prompted  Warren 
Hastings,  during  all  the  years  he  ruled  the  millions 
of  India,  to  husband  his  earnings  that  he  might 
buy  back  the  home  of  his  fathers ;  and  the  hap- 


The  Many  Mansions  33 

piest  day  in  his  long,  eventful  life  was  that  on 
which  he  returned  to  Daylesford  as  the  proprietor 
of  the  paternal  mansion  and  its  contiguous  grounds. 
When  you  looked  on  a  castellated  dwelling,  per- 
chance not  many  miles  from  the  Clyde,  the  home 
of  your  ancestors  for  centuries  past,  impressive  in 
its  antiquity,  and  homeful  in  its  appointments,  not- 
withstanding the  changes  it  has  seen,  it  suggested 
a  pleasant  contrast  with  the  perishable  dwellings  of 
our  day,  or  those  far  down  the  city  avenue  where 
continuance  is  only  a  span.  You  may  think  this 
sentiment  merely.  So  let  it  be.  But,  when  I  carry 
my  love  of  home  across  the  dividing  line  of  life,  I 
am  thankful  for  the  words  of  Jesus,  "  In  My  Fa- 
ther's house  are  many  abiding-places."  On  lintel 
and  door-post  is  written,  ''There  shall  be  no  more 
going  out." 

3.  The  capacity  of  heaven  is  suggested  by  the 
''many  mansions." 

It  is  supposed,  by  some,  that  there  is  a  central 
world,  in  the  depths  of  space,  of  such  vast  dimen- 
sions that  suns  are  less  than  star-dust  in  compari- 
son. Only  such  a  world,  exceeding  all  our  con- 
ceptions of  it,  can  possess  the  power,  under  natural 
law,  to  hold  all  other  worlds  to  their  orbits,  and 
maintain  harmony  among  the  innumerable  spheres. 

The  disciples  may  have  thought  of  heaven  as  a 
country  limited  as  was  their  own.  Canaan  was 
among  the  smallest  of  all  lands,  a  narrow  strip  of 
mountains  and  valleys,  lying  between  the  Jordan 


34  Christ's    Valedictory 

and  the  Great  Sea ;  Lebanon  marking  its  northern 
boundary,  and  the  desert  its  southern  hmit.  And 
as  the  Hebrew's  country  was  small,  as  compared 
with  the  Roman  Empire,  which  reached  from  the 
Euphrates  to  the  coast  of  Spain ;  so  heaven  might 
be,  as  related  to  the  world  they  knew.  This  would 
seem  to  limit  salvation  to  a  single  nation;  and 
make  heaven  the  abode  of  a  chosen  few.  When 
these  farewell  words  were  spoken,  the  middle  wall 
of  partition  between  Jews  and  Gentiles  still  re- 
mained, and  the  Great  Commission  to  disciple  all 
nations  had  not  yet  been  given.  But  Christ  inti- 
mates a  wideness  in  God's  mercy  they  had  not  dis- 
covered ;  a  multitude  of  redeemed  that  their  hori- 
zon had  not  included. 

Many  Mansions  !  Room  enough  for  all  the  race ; 
for  generations  yet  unborn ;  for  all  the  ages  until 
the  end  of  time ;  however  remote  that  end  may  be. 
Room  enough  for  the  angels  that  have  retained 
their  first  estate,  and  for  all  orders  of  beings  that 
have  never  known  the  curse  of  sin,  or  shall  yet  be 
rescued  from  its  power.  Hence  the  fullness  of  the 
gospel ;  the  compass  of  invitation  and  promise, 
wide  as  the  earth  and  long  as  the  ages ;  the  call 
that  comes  from  the  boarder  of  the  King's  Country 
to  which  the  King  has  returned,  ''  Whosoever  will, 
let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely." 

4.     The  diversity  of  heaven. 

Its  mansions  are  suited  to  the  different  characters 
and  capacities  of  their  occupants  j  and  new  forms 


The  Many  Mansions  35 

of  beauty  are  continually  appearing.  Variety  pre- 
vails in  grace  as  in  nature.  The  world  is  not  a  dead 
level.  There  are  mountains  and  valleys,  broad 
rivers  and  streams,  lofty  oaks  and  trailing  vines. 
Thus  a  pleasing  variety  exists,  and  we  admire  an 
Alpine  range  the  more  because  of  the  fragrant 
meadows  at  its  base,  through  which  the  brooks 
wind,  and  sing.  So  there  will  be  distinctions  in 
the  world  above. 

Some  mansions  will  be  more  conspicuous  than 
others;  and  some  will  stand  nearer  the  throne. 
Some  may  suggest,  by  their  form  and  appoint- 
ments, that  they  are  occupied  by  prophets,  others 
by  apostles,  others  by  martyrs  ;  these  by  men  and 
women  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Church  in 
heathen  lands,  and  those  by  a  humble  ministry  in 
the  world's  seclusions  ;  these  by  believers  who  ex- 
celled in  benevolence,  whose  earthly  monuments 
were  great  charities,  whose  ministrations  were  a 
solace  to  grief,  whose  words  were  benedictions  to 
the  weary  and  discouraged ;  those  by  the  gifted 
and  great  who  represented  thousands ;  their  names 
known  and  their  influence  felt  the  world  around ; 
and  yonder  mansions  by  saints  whose  piety  was 
lowly,  patient  and  enduring ;  revealing  kinship  to 
the  Galilean. 

Our  Saviour  intimates  grades  in  glory.  Some 
shall  rule  over  ten  cities,  others  over  five.  Some 
shall  shine  as  the  firmament,  others  as  the  stars  for- 
ever and  ever.     Meanwhile  each  shall  go  to  his 


36  Christ's    Valedictory 

own  country.  Kindred  spirits  here  shall  find  con- 
genial spirits  there.  Groups  of  friendship  below 
may  be  continued  above.  Households  bound  by 
ties  of  sacred  kinship  on  earth,  may  dwell  in  close 
proximity  in  heaven  ;  earthly  relationships,  though 
not  all,  continually  embracing  new,  inspiring  ele- 
ments, may  perpetuate  essential  features  of  that 
which  made  and  blessed  the  life  below.  Kindred 
and  tribes  and  tongues  may  have  their  allotments 
which  shall  preserve  history  and  magnify  the  grace 
that  saved  them.  Individuality  will  not  be  merged 
in  the  general  mass,  nor  pecuharities  fade  out  on 
the  threshold  of  bliss.  There  shall  be  diversities  of 
place  and  service,  of  power,  possibilities,  and  glory. 
*'  In  My  Father's  house  are  many  mansions." 

5.     The  unity  of  heaven. 

*'In  My  Father's  House."  Hearts  shall  be  in 
unison.  Lives  shall  blend.  Harsh  distinctions 
shall  be  unknown.  Luther  and  Zwingli  shall  see 
eye  to  eye.  Calvin  and  Arminius  shall  be  in  full 
accord.  Separatists  here,  shall  be  brethren  there. 
Churchmen  and  Dissenters  shall  forget  their  differ- 
ences. Church  polity,  ceremonies,  ordinances  and 
modes  of  administration  shall  occasion  no  dispute ; 
and  whatever  was  divisive  and  of  the  earth  earthy, 
shall  go  to  its  own  place.  The  multitude  of  the  re- 
deemed shall  be  so  great  that  only  a  celestial 
arithmetic  can  number  it,  and  yet  perfect  harmony 
shall  prevail ;  many  as  the  waves  and  one  as  the 
sea;  the  unity  the  more  blessed  because  of  the 


The  Many  Mansions  37 

pleasing  and  endless  diversities.  As  the  sons  of 
Jesse  formed  one  family,  a  happy  unit,  although 
each  differed  from  all  the  rest  in  mental  character- 
istics and  physical  form,  so  we  shall  be  one  in 
spirit,  affection,  and  loyalty  to  the  Lord  of  all, 
when  we  shall  gather  in  our  Father's  House,  to 
stay  home  forever ;  misunderstandings,  coldnesses, 
alienations,  contentions,  having  departed  as  the 
night  when  the  sun  is  risen. 

6.  The  Certainty  of  this  Consummation. 
''If  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you." 
We  have  a  yearning  for  a  better  and  endless  life. 
We  know  that  we  have  not  attained  our  rest.  The 
soul  turns  its  face  toward  the  future,  and  waits  for 
the  eternal  day.  Now  and  then,  the  anxious  in- 
quiry pierces  the  atmosphere  of  the  world's  dark- 
ness, ''  If  a  man  die  shall  he  live  agam  ?  "  Gener- 
ations have  been  moving  on  in  solemn  procession 
to  an  invisible  world;  have  entered  it,  and  the 
doors  have  closed  behind  them.  No  voice  breaks 
the  stillness.  None  return  to  tell  what  is  the  state 
of  the  dead.  We  address  our  burdened  cry  to  our 
departed  Lord,  ''Is  there  life  beyond?  "  Had  He 
made  no  audible  answer,  even  silence  would  have 
been  a  reply.  "If  it  were  not  so  I  would  have 
told  you."  If  we  had  been  pursuing  shadows,  our 
search  vain,  our  expectation  a  delusion,  the  Master 
would  have  dispelled  the  deception.  He  could  not 
have  gained  His  own  consent  to  see  our  feet  groping 
their  way  to  the  gates  of  endless  death,  when  we 


38  Christ's   Valedictory 

had  sought  and  hoped  to  reach  realms  of  light  and 
life.  There  is  a  home  on  high;  a  life  beyond 
death ;  a  house  with  many  mansions.  "  If  it  were 
not  so  I  would  have  told  you." 

Moreover,  if  Christ  had  not  been  all  He  claimed 
to  be,  and  had  not  been  able  to  do  all  He  promised ; 
if  forgiveness  had  been  a  falsehood,  heaven  a 
dream,  the  grave  our  final  goal ;  then  God  would 
have  been  constrained  by  His  love  of  truth,  even  in 
the  absence  of  any  affection  for  us,  to  declare  the 
Son  of  Mary  a  self-deceived  teacher,  or  a  willful 
impostor.  His  silence  alone  would  have  supported 
our  beUef  in  Christ.  But  to  this  He  had  added 
testimony  the  ages  cannot  disprove,  when  He  spake 
saying,  ''This  is  My  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased ;  hear  ye  Him."  '*  If  it  were  not  so  I 
would  have  told  you."  Now  we  are  warranted  to 
believe  in  Christ,  because  we  are  warranted  to  be- 
lieve in  God.  If  we  have  doubted,  we  should  now 
rejoice  with  exceeding  joy,  as  the  prisoner  who  is  set 
free,  or  the  weary  night  sentinel  when  he  sees  the 
dawn  breaking  on  the  summit  of  the  mountains. 
Frederick  William  III.  lived  in  fear  of  losing  his 
possessions  because  France  threatened  to  wrest 
them  from  him.  We  should  be  happy  in  the  as- 
surance Christ  has  given  us,  that  where  He  is  we 
soon  shall  be,  our  inheritance  as  forfeitless  as  His 
throne  is  eternal. 

7.  Respecting  the  location  of  heaven,  Christ 
gives  us  no  information.     If  it  had  been  any  ad- 


The  Many  Mansions  39 

vantage  to  us  to  know  He  would  doubtless  have  told 
us.  The  conjectures  of  men  are  numerous,  and  none 
of  them  answer  the  question — ''  Where  is  heaven  ?  " 

Some  think  our  earth,  after  its  renovation  by 
fire,  will  be  the  future  heaven.  This  opinion  does 
not  seem  tenable.  Eighteen  hundred  years  ago 
Christ  went  to  prepare  a  place  for  us ;  evidently  a 
place  distinct  from  our  present  abode,  the  heaven 
of  all  departed  believers,  to  be  ours  when  the  earth 
shall  burn,  and  these  lower  heavens  shall  have 
passed  away.  Others  suppose  it  is  in  our  own  at- 
mosphere, above  the  summits  of  the  highest  moun- 
tains ;  hence,  above  the  clouds  which  gender  storms 
and  cast  shadows.  But  this  view  is  unsatisfying 
to  most  minds  and  seems  unscriptural.  When 
Christ  left  the  world  a  cloud  received  Him  from 
sight.  His  movement  thereafter  was,  no  doubt, 
swifter  than  the  light  which  passes  all  visible  worlds 
in  an  hour ;  and  the  world  to  which  He  went  is 
evidently  beyond  the  firmament  of  stars ;  for  it  is 
said  to  be  '*  above  all  heavens." 

Paul  was  caught  up  into  the  third  heaven,  and 
the  statement  implies  a  far  remove  from  earth. 
Inasmuch  as  the  passage  is  rapid  as  thought,  dis- 
tance practically  ceases.  The  world  where  God's 
presence  is  most  signally  manifested,  and  where 
finite  spirits,  who  are  by  the  limitations  of  their 
nature  confined  to  space,  find  a  home ;  may  be  the 
central  world,  around  which  all  systems  of  worlds 
revolve ;  the  greatest  and  best,  bearing  the  signa- 


40  Christ's    Valedictory 

ture  of  God's  perfect  hand,  from  which  the  divme 
glory  radiates  along  the  endless  lines  which  go  out 
into  all  the  universe  of  God. 

But  it  matters  not  where  heaven  is.  It  is  enough 
for  us  to  know  that  it  is  where  our  Lord  and  all  His 
ransomed  are.  Material  splendors  fade  away  in 
the  presence  of  our  Beloved.  To  see  and  be  like 
Him,  will  be  the  consummation  of  Christian  hope. 
All  else  will  be  an  expression  of  His  love,  to  be 
valued  because  of  this ;  but,  after  all,  we  shall  find 
our  chief  joy  in  His  presence,  and  His  person  will 
be  the  magnet  that  will  draw  all  the  hosts  of  heaven 
around  Him. 

The  future  of  the  universe  is  concealed  from  us. 
It  is  growing  old,  and  wearing  out.  Its  impulse 
declines,  slowly,  it  is  true,  but  surely,  as  the  ages 
pass  away.  Matter  had  a  beginning ;  it  may  have 
an  end.  The  spiritual  power  that  created  the 
world  out  of  nothing, — that  which  is  back  of  all, 
in  all,  and  above  all, — will  survive  the  existing 
creations ;  and  these  may  be  followed  by  some- 
thing higher,  for  God's  works  are  ever  on  an  as- 
cending scale.  Inspiration  tells  of  ''  a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth  wherein  dwelleth  righteousness." 
Then  the  spiritual  will  occupy  the  throne,  and  the 
Apocalyptic  vision  become  a  reality.  There  is  a 
depth  of  meaning  in  the  word  of  Jesus  which  we 
shall  be  forever  learning  and  never  fathom ;  its 
preciousness  and  joy  is  as  infinite  as  God  :  *'  That 
where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also. ' ' 


The  Many  Mansions  41 

Jesus  has  ''gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  us."  In 
virtue  of  His  death,  He  secures  the  right  to  provide 
a  residence  for  His  people.  Hence,  having  made 
Himself  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  He  went  to  present  His 
blood  in  the  holy  place  on  high,  as  the  sufficient 
ground  of  our  acceptance  with  God ;  and,  in  the 
future  office  of  His  priesthood,  to  make  intercession 
for  His  own.  Thus  He  prepares  the  place  for  us, 
and  us  for  it.  Then,  when  all  is  in  readiness,  *'  He 
will  come  again,  and  receive  us  to  Himself." 

By  His  coming  may  be  meant  His  gracious  ap- 
pearing at  death,  when  He  shall  dispel  all  fear  of 
the  passage,  support  us  in  it,  and  introduce  us  to 
the  eternal  rest  of  heaven  ;  or  His  second  glorious 
coming  may  be  intended,  when  His  redemptive 
work  shall  be  completed  in  the  resurrection,  and 
the  last  subject  of  His  grace  shall  be  gathered  into 
the  church  below.  Both  interpretations  may  be 
admissible.  Ever  since  our  Lord  returned  to  the 
Father,  He  has  been  coming  to  His  people ;  com- 
ing that  He  may  come;  touching  our  lives  and 
lifting  them  by  His  spiritual  presence;  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  in  the  special  manifesta- 
tions of  His  grace ;  in  potential  providences  ;  and 
in  the  solemn  transition  of  worlds. 

But  the  consummation  of  all  His  comings,  will 
be  His  second  glorious  appearing  in  the  clouds, 
without  sin  unto  salvation,  accompanied  by  innu- 
merable angels ;  when  the  dead  in  Christ  shall 
rise,  and  the  living  be  changed,  and  all  shall  be 


42  Christ's    Valedictory 

caught  up  into  heaven,  to  be  forever  with  the  Lord. 
Of  that  day  knoweth  no  man.  It  may  be  near.  A 
clearer  vision  might  discern  the  conqueror  on  the 
way.  If  our  ears  were  not  so  dull  of  hearing,  we 
might  hear  the  sound  of  His  chariot  wheels,  and 
catch  the  utterance  of  His  heart's  deepest  yearning, 
saying  to  His  church,  "Arise  My  love,  My  fair 
one,  and  come  away." 

Holy  Spirit  prepare  us  for  the  longed-for  advent ! 
Then  whether  living,  or  in  our  graves,  we  shall  lift 
up  our  heads  with  joy  and  say,  **  Lo  !  this  is  our 
God,  we  have  waited  for  Him,  and  He  will  save 
us ;  this  is  the  Lord ;  we  have  waited  for  Him, 
we  will  be  glad  and  rejoice  in  His  salvation,"  and 
then  shall  we  haste  away  beyond  these  lower  heav- 
ens, robed  in  immortality,  singing  hosannas  as  we 
go,  our  rejoicings  joined  with  the  welcome  of  the 
angels ;  and,  when  surrounded  with  the  splendors 
of  our  Father's  House,  we  shall  raise  the  universal 
song  of  the  redeemed  ;  "  Unto  Him  that  loved  us, 
and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood, 
and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God  and 
His  Father ;  to  Him  be  glory  and  dominion  forever 
and  ever.     Amen." 


THE  WAY,  THE  TRUTH  AND  THE  LIFE 


/  am  thi  way,  the  truth  and  the  life,  and  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  Me. — JOHN  xiv.  6. 

Jesus  is  the  way  by  His  example  ;  the  truth  by  His  word; 
and  the  life  by  His  grace.  7he  new  and  living  way,  wherein 
faith  causes  us  to  walk  ;  the  infallible  truth  of  good  things 
to  come,  for  which  we  must  hope  ;  and  the  eternal  life,  which 
must  be  the  sole  object  of  our  love.  Out  of  this  way,  there  is 
nothing  but  wandering ;  without  this  truth,  nothing  but 
error  and  deceit ;  and  without  this  life^  nothing  but  death. — 
QUESNEL. 


Ill 

THE  WAY,  THE   TRUTH   AND  THE  LIFE 

Christ  having  announced  that  He  was  about  to 
go  away,  assumed  that  His  disciples  knew  to  what 
place,  and  into  what  state,  He  was  going.  He 
had  just  intimated  that  He  was  soon  to  return  to 
His  Father;  and  had  previously  suggested  that, 
having  come  down  from  heaven,  the  accomplish- 
ment of  His  earthly  mission  would  be  followed  by 
His  departure  to  the  world  from  whence  He  came. 

But  the  disciples  failed  to  interpret  His  words. 
They  still  clung  to  their  preconceptions  of  Him  as 
a  temporal  prince,  who  had  come  to  establish  a 
temporal  kingdom;  bringing  back  to  Israel  its 
former  preeminence  and  glory.  They  knew  not  by 
what  means  this  end  would  be  accomplished. 
They  could  not  discern  the  path  which  led  to  it. 
Why  should  He  say,  <  *  Whither  I  go  ye  know,  and 
the  way  ye  know  "  ?  Thomas,  who  seems  to  have 
been  the  dialectician  in  the  college  of  disciples, 
suggested  to  the  Master  that,  as  they  did  not  know 
where  He  was  going,  it  would  be  impossible  for 
them  to  know  the  way.  The  conclusion  was  a 
logical  sequence.  It  had  not  occurred  to  them 
that  defeat  could  be  victory,  and  death  the  way  to 
45 


46  Christ's    Valedictory 

the  throne.  The  key  to  this  mystery  was  not  yet 
in  their  possession.  God's  thoughts  were  widely 
different  from  their  thoughts,  and  His  ways  from 
their  ways.  Therefore  Christ,  bearing  with  their 
dullness,  again  tells  them  that  He  is  going  to  the 
Father,  and  that  He  is  the  way,  and  the  only  way, 
by  which  lost  men  can  return  to  God.  *'  I  am  the 
way,  the  truth  and  the  life,  and  no  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  Me."  This  statement  is 
very  plain  to  us ;  but  it  was  very  dark  to  them.  It 
needed  the  interpretation  of  history,  and  the  illu- 
mination of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Ascension 
opened  heaven  to  their  view,  and  Pentecost  re- 
vealed Christ  enthroned  in  glory.  Then  they  un- 
derstood that  Christ's  kingdom  was  spiritual,  that 
its  consummation  would  be  realized  in  heaven,  and 
that  faith  in  the  death  accomplished  on  Calvary 
was  the  condition  of  salvation. 

"The  way,  the  truth  and  the  life."  In  the 
soliloquies  of  Augustine,  as  Bengel  has  observed, 
these  words  are  interpreted  as  meaning  that  Christ 
is  the  true  way  of  life.  While  this  is  so,  it  is  not 
all  that  the  Master  intended.  There  is  a  profound 
significance  in  each  member  of  this  sentence  which 
is  not  expressed  in  the  exegesis  of  the  great  theolo- 
gian. 

Christ  is  the  way  to  life,  and  His  truth  reveals  it ; 
but  let  us  dwell  a  little  on  the  several  statements  of 
our  Lord,  which,  if  they  are  not  set  in  direct  appo- 
sition to  the  great  facts  of  sin,  righteousness  and 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life     47 

judgment,  readily  suggest  them,  revealing  the  way 
out  of  sin,  acceptance  with  God  through  His  Son, 
and  our  open  acknowledgment  and  acquittal  at  the 
last  day ;  after  which  we  shall  enter  into  the  joy  of 
our  Lord. 

I.  Christ  is  the  way  to  the  Father.  This  state- 
ment has  many  aspects,  and  expresses  a  universal 
fact. 

I.  We  obtain  a  saving  knowledge  of  God 
through  His  Son.  We  cannot  comprehend  an  ab- 
solute God.  By  searching,  we  cannot  find  Him 
out.  The  sages  of  Greece,  who  thought  mountain - 
summits  lifted  them  into  the  closest  fellowship  with 
the  Invisible,  failed  to  discover  God  even  there, 
and  sought  to  embody  their  vague  conceptions  of 
Him  in  images  of  ivory  and  gold.  Men  have 
learned  something  of  the  divine  intelligence  and 
power  in  the  material  world,  have  read  the  name 
of  God  inscribed  on  earth  and  skies  ;  but  the  ques- 
tion which  most  burdened  their  souls  remained  un- 
answered. Conscious  sin  weighed  them  down ; 
and  no  salvation  was  reported  by  sun  or  stars.  No 
revelation  of  mercy  was  given ;  no  expression  of 
love  that  was  not  drowned  by  the  thunderings  of 
wrath ;  no  intimation  of  pardon,  holiness,  and  a 
happy  immortality,  breaking  through  the  cloud 
which  obscured  the  divine  face,  and  the  veil  that 
concealed  an  eternal  state.  But  Christ  reveals 
God,  for  He  is  '<  the  brightness  of  His  glory  and 
the  express  image  of  His  person."    In  Himself  He 


48  Christ's    Valedictory 

unites  the  divine  and  the  human.  He  is  the  ladder 
of  the  Bethel- vision  which  connects  earth  with 
heaven,  and  admits  to  the  presence-chamber  of 
God,  where  every  inquiry  of  the  soul,  so  far  as 
these  relate  to  a  personal  salvation,  shall  be  an- 
swered. <'He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the 
Father  also." 

2.  Christ  reveals  the  way  of  acceptance  with 
God. 

We  crave  an  interpretation  of  divine  clemency. 
On  what  basis  does  it  rest  ?  Jesus  answers,  "  I  am 
the  way."  He  has  assumed  our  guilt  and  expiated 
it  by  His  death.  He  has  wrought  out,  in  tears  and 
agony  and  blood,  a  righteousness  which  meets  our 
need  j  and  we  are  pardoned  and  accepted  in  the 
Beloved.  Does  God  require  of  us  perfect  obedi- 
ence to  His  will  ?  We  remind  Him  that  Christ, 
our  representative  before  the  law,  has  obeyed  for 
us.  Does  He  insist  that  the  penalty  which  attaches 
to  sin  must  be  inflicted  ?  We  lift  high  the  cross, 
trusting  only  in  Him  who  hung  upon  it,  and  repeat 
the  words  prophetic  inspiration  wrote,  cherished  in 
the  hearts  of  Christ's  redeemed;  "He  was 
wounded  for  one  transgressions  and  bruised  for  our 
iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon 
Him,  and  by  His  stripes  we  are  healed."  God 
answers:  ''The  satisfaction  is  complete,"  and  jus- 
tice lays  its  thunders  by. 

3.  Christ  prepares  us  for  heaven. 

The  removal  of  legal  obstacles  is  not  sufficient, 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life    49 

Moral  fitness  is  required.  We  must  be  like  God, 
if  we  would  dwell  with  Him.  Sin  will  never  be 
permitted  to  cast  its  shadow  on  the  sea  of  glass,  or 
on  the  streets  of  gold.  Now,  our  own  hearts  con- 
demn us;  and  God  is  greater  than  our  hearts. 
Yet  the  truth  remains  that  Jesus  is  made  unto  us 
sanctification,  also.  He  has  begun  a  good  work  in 
us,  and  He  will  complete  it.  ''Now  are  we  the 
sons  of  God  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we 
shall  be,  but  when  He  shall  appear  we  shall  be  like 
Him,  for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is." 

Thus  Christ  is  the  way  to  the  Father,  the  only 
way.  There  is  no  other  name  given  among  men 
whereby  we  must  be  saved.  Though  some,  doubt- 
less, have  been  saved  without  a  knowledge  of 
Christ;  their  spirit  of  teachableness  and  trust, 
joined  with  Godlike  living,  declaring  them  the  chil- 
dren of  God ;  yet,  they  owe  their  salvation  to  the 
death  of  the  cross,  and  shall  forever  ascribe  all  glory 
to  Him  who  shed  for  them  His  precious  blood. 

The  philosophies  of  men,  the  dreamings  of  su- 
perstition, the  self-righteousness  of  unbelief,  the 
sincerity  which  hides  in  a  refuge  of  lies,  cannot 
save.  Jesus  says,  ''No  man  cometh  unto  the  Fa- 
ther but  by  Me." 

Once,  certain  travellers,  ascending  the  Alps,  lost 
their  way,  by  reason  of  the  snows  which  obscured 
their  path,  and  they  stood  on  the  border  of  a 
precipice  where  to  fall  was  to  die.  After  long  and 
anxious  delay,  looking  in  vain  for  the  mountaiij 


50  Christ's    Valedictory 

crucifix  which  with  one  arm  told  of  danger,  and 
with  the  other  how  to  escape  it ;  they  heard  with 
joy  the  cry  of  their  guide  who  had  gone  on  before, 
exclaiming,  ''The  cross!  The  cross!"  Then 
following  the  assuring  voice  they  pressed  safely  on, 
reaching  at  last  the  summer-land  in  the  valleys  be- 
yond. The  summer-land  of  eternity  is  reached 
only  by  the  way  of  the  cross. 

II.     Christ  is  the  truth. 

I.  His  word  is  truth.  He  never  speculates, 
questions,  or  doubts.  He  does  not  need  a  long 
process  of  reasoning  to  lead  Him  up  to  God,  or  to 
discover  the  secrets  of  the  future.  As  a  child  He 
confounded  the  doctors  in  the  temple,  and  they 
looked  wonderingly  at  Him.  Officers  sent  to  ap- 
prehend Him,  returned  without  Him,  saying, 
"Never  man  spake  like  this  man."  His  knowl- 
edge of  men  was  infallible.  He  read  their  thoughts 
even  afar  off,  heard  the  words  they  spake  in  secret, 
knew  the  motives  that  controlled  their  lives.  He 
discoursed  of  God  and  eternity,  of  sin  and  salva- 
tion, of  duty  and  truth,  of  heaven  and  hell ;  and 
none  could  disprove  any  statement  He  ever  made. 
His  word  never  wavered,  but  went  straight  to  its 
mark.  It  never  came  in  conflict  with  the  enlight- 
ened consciousness  of  men,  but  confirmed  it.  It 
was  never  modified  by  scholarship,  broken  by  criti- 
cism, refuted  by  history,  or  contradicted  by  suc- 
ceeding events.     He  spake  with  a  self-poise  that 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life     51 

only  certitude  supports ;  with  authority,  and  not  as 
the  scribes;  with  a  penetration  that  brought  the 
invisible  to  sight ;  with  an  impressiveness  that 
gathered  the  solemnities  of  eternity  around  the  lis- 
tening soul.  One  of  the  rulers  of  the  Jews,  who 
held  a  protracted  night  interview  with  Jesus,  im- 
pressed by  His  ministry  and  the  miracles  attending 
it,  said,  "  We  know  that  Thou  art  a  teacher  come 
from  God."  Mary  sat  at  His  feet,  and  His  word 
answered  every  cry  and  questioning  of  her  yearning 
heart.  Pilate  asked, ''What  is  truth?"  But  went 
immediately  out,  shrinking  from  the  scrutiny  of  the 
omniscient  Nazarene.  ''I  am  the  way  and  the 
truth." 

2.     Christ  exemplified  the  truth. 

There  is  a  power  in  the  life  that  does  not  reside 
in  any  abstract  statement  of  truth.  The  great 
Roman  orator  might  discourse  never  so  eloquently 
concerning  sobriety,  and  men  were  moved  for  the 
time  to  high  resolves,  but  his  teaching  was  neutral- 
ized by  his  example.  Christ's  life  was  a  continual 
commentary  on  His  words.  Men  might  differ  in 
their  interpretation  of  the  law,  but  they  learned  its 
spirituality  and  extent  in  the  light  of  His  immacu- 
late life.  To-day,  as  we  contemplate  this  wonder- 
ful career,  with  no  stain  upon  it,  and  no  waver  in 
it,  we  apprehend  the  grandeur  of  truth,  and  say  of 
Jesus,  as  the  Athenian  court  said  of  a  noted  wit- 
ness, ''His  word  is  as  good  as  an  oath."  Even 
infidelity,  whilst  denying  His  Godhead  and  Messiah- 


52  Christ's    Valedictory- 

ship,  has  paid  homage  to  His  moral  grandeur,  ad- 
mitting that,  in  all  the  ages,  He  has  never  been 
equalled,  and  whatever  the  surprise  of  the  future, 
He  can  never  be  surpassed. 

3.  The  ancient  prophecies  concerning  the  Mes- 
siah were  fulfilled  in  Christ. 

It  was  truly  said,  ''The  testimony  of  Jesus  is  the 
spirit  of  prophecy."  The  first  promise,  respecting 
the  bruising  of  the  serpent's  head,  pointed  to  the 
incarnate,  suffering  Son  of  God.  The  offices  of 
Christ  were  subjects  of  prophecy.  God  said  to  the 
Hebrew  Lawgiver,  "I  will  raise  up  a  prophet  from 
among  thy  brethren,  like  unto  thee."  In  the  full- 
ness of  time,  when  Jesus  came,  a  greater  than 
Moses,  yet  in  His  legislative  and  mediatorial  char- 
acter resembhng  him;  it  was  said,  ''This  is  Jesus 
the  prophet  of  Galilee." 

Again  God  said  of  Christ,  by  the  mouth  of 
David,  "Thou  art  a  priest  forever  after  the  order 
of  Melchizedek,"  and  Paul  wrote,  ages  after,  "We 
have  a  great  High  Priest  that  is  passed  into  the 
heavens,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God." 

His  kingly  office  was  predicted.  "Yet  have  I 
set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion."  In  pros- 
pect of  this,  Zechariah,  who  stood  near  the  close 
of  the  prophetic  age,  said,  "  Shout,  O  daughters 
of  Jerusalem,  behold  thy  King  cometh  unto  thee  :  " 
and  these  words  we  recall  in  connection  with  Christ's 
triumphal  entrance  into  Jersusalem,  and  the  inscrip- 
tion on  the  cross. 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life    63 

Moreover  the  Scriptures  foretold  Christ's  two- 
fold nature,  the  Son  of  Man,  and  yet  the  everlast- 
ing Father.  They  intimated  His  lowly  life,  His  re- 
jection by  His  own  people,  His  sufferings  en- 
dured for  sinners,  the  circumstances  attending 
and  following  His  death,  His  triumphal  return  to 
heaven,  the  angels  watching  His  approach.  All 
these  were  remarkable  prophecies  that  could  not 
be  referred  to  natural  penetration,  but  only  to  that 
divine  omniscience  which  embraced  distant  ages 
and  their  unborn  secrets  in  its  view;  and  they 
found  their  fulfillment  in  Jesus  who  was  born  of  a 
humble  virgin,  despised  of  men,  crucified  between 
two  malefactors,  raised  from  the  dead,  and  exalted 
in  glory. 

4.  Christ  is  the  truth  in  that  the  symbolism  of 
the  Old  Dispensation  which  referred  to  the  Messiah 
was  fulfilled  in  Him. 

The  volume  of  revelation  was  not  commenced 
until  twenty-five  hundred  years  after  creation ;  and 
then,  the  Pentateuch  was  the  only  Bible  of  the 
Hebrew  Church  for  ages  following.  But  the  gos- 
pel antedated  the  written  word.  Men  learned  truth 
through  object  lessons.  God's  picture  gallery,  ever 
lengthening,  was  an  object  of  devout  study.  Christ 
was  adumbrated  in  expressive  figures  until  He  came. 
Types  were  instituted  at  the  beginning,  and  multi- 
plied as  occasion  required,  or  circumstances  per- 
mitted. The  sacrifices  offered  immediately  after 
the  expulsion  from  the  garden  were  not  suggestions 


54  Christ's    Valedictory 

of  human  ingenuity,  or  the  creation  of  will-wor- 
ship; but  divine  appointments,  foreshadowing  re- 
demption by  substitution. 

The  paschal  lamb  was  a  type  of  Christ,  and  the 
blood  on  the  door-post  prefigured  the  sacrifice  of 
Calvary.  The  brazen  serpent  lifted  among  the 
sad,  soiled  tents  of  Israel,  predicted  the  uplifted 
cross  and  its  royal  victim,  who  healed  the  maladies 
of  the  soul.  The  manna  which  fell  from  heaven 
and  sustained  life;  the  smitten  rock  in  Horeb 
which  quenched  thirst ;  the  City  of  Refuge  which 
protected  the  manslayer — all  were  symbols  of 
Christ,  the  bread  of  heaven,  the  water  of  life,  the 
refuge  from  wrath  to  come. 

Christ  is  the  truth.  He  is  not  a  myth,  but  a 
person;  not  a  fleeting  vision,  but  an  abiding 
presence;  not  a  theophany,  but  the  incarnated 
God,  the  reality  we  had  craved,  for  the  mani- 
festation of  which  we  had  yearned.  Trusting  in 
Him  we  are  done  with  the  tossings  of  doubt,  un- 
certainty and  fear.  We  plant  our  feet  on  the  Rock 
of  Ages  unmoved  by  the  rollings  of  the  angry  sea. 
He  that  doeth  Christ's  will,  or  even  honestly  wills 
to  do  it,  shall  know  the  truth  and  be  at  rest. 

III.     Christ  is  the  Life. 

I.  He  purchased  it.  The  price  of  redemption 
was  infinite ;  only  an  infinite  Redeemer  could  pay 
it.  The  law  of  God  required  a  perfect  obedience, 
and  the  wages  of  sin  was  death.     Christ  obeyed 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life    55 

and  suffered.  Thus  He  averted  divine  wrath  and 
brought  back  the  Hfe  we  had  lost.  **He  that  be- 
lieveth  on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life."  "  There 
is  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in  Christ 
Jesus." 

2.  Christ  conveys  spiritual  life  to  His  people. 
Passing    along   the   paths   of  death,    He   says, 

*' Live  !  "  and  we  realize  at  once  the  quickening 
power  of  His  life;  just  as  natural  life,  at  His 
word,  returned  to  Lazarus,  to  the  young  man  at 
Nain,  and  to  the  ruler's  daughter.  The  Christ- 
consciousness  becomes  ours.  The  love  of  sin  dies. 
The  love  of  holiness  is  enthroned.  Communion 
with  God  is  restored.  The  believer  goes  from 
strength  to  strength,  growing  more  Godlike  as  the 
days  are  numbered.  Hence  Paul  writes  to  be- 
lievers at  Rome:  *' Reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to 
be  dead  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

3.  Christ  gives  eternal  life.  This  is  the  spirit- 
ual life  perfected  in  the  world  to  come.  The  dif- 
ference is  not  in  kind,  but  in  degree.  Heaven 
begins  on  earth.  The  source  and  support  of  life 
hereafter  is  Christ  alone,  and  always.  He  is  the 
light  and  glory  of  the  world  above.  Material 
splendor  is  consonant  with  the  spiritual  glory  of 
the  place.  Holy  companionship  contributes  to  the 
joy  of  the  saint.  Exemption  from  all  evil  brings 
unperturbed  rest  to  the  soul.  But  thrones  of  sub- 
limity, crowns  of  glory,  palms  of  victory,  harps  of 


56  Christ's    Valedictory 

gold,  are  only  the  adjuncts  of  heavenly  bliss.  The 
spring  of  all  our  joy  is  Christ.  "  Whom  have  I  in 
heaven  but  Thee  ?  ' '  The  life  of  this  world  is  the 
everlasting  glory  of  the  next. 

But  our  Lord  has  in  mind  the  completeness  of 
redemption,  as  it  extends  to  both  body  and  soul, 
and  we  add : 

4.     Christ  is  the  resurrection. 

He  came  to  save  the  whole  man ;  to  undo  all 
the  evil  sin  had  done.  Faith  removes  the  sting  of 
death,  but  it  does  not  preserve  from  the  grave. 
*'  It  is  appointed  unto  all  men  once  to  die."  Na- 
ture shrinks  from  dissolution.  As  far  as  possible, 
it  excludes  the  thought. 

A  certain  tribe  of  savages  leave  the  burial  of 
their  dead  to  strangers.  No  stone  marks  the  spot 
where  the  departed  sleep.  Herds  of  cattle  are 
driven  over  the  grave  until  all  traces  of  it  are  ob- 
literated. To  them  death  brings  sadness  only. 
They  see  no  light  beyond.  But  how  comforting  to 
believers,  when  the  shadows  fall  and  deepen,  are 
the  words  of  Jesus,  ''  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life."  In  view  of  this  Paul  adds,  ''  this  corruptible 
shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  put 
on  immortality." 

We  have,  in  the  life  of  Christ,  foreshadowings 
of  the  final  resurrection.  Looking  onward  to  the 
close  of  the  present  dispensation,  we  behold  Him 
coming  in  the  clouds,  in  the  glory  of  His  Father, 
with  the  holy   angels.     The   trump   of  the  arch- 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life     57 

angel  sounds.  The  graves  open.  The  dead 
arise.  The  living  are  changed,  and  all  believers, 
clothed  in  spiritual,  glorified  bodies,  ascend  to 
meet  their  Lord  in  the  air.  Thus  redemption 
is  completed.  Life  has  triumphed  over  death.  A 
great  multitude  which  no  man  can  number  are 
gone  to  be  with  Christ,  to  enjoy  forever  the  inher- 
itance reserved  for  them  in  heaven. 

5.     The  sure  ground  of  the  Christian's  hope. 

Jesus  is  our  all  in  all,  and  liveth  forevermore. 
Unlike  the  priests  of  the  Mosaic  economy,  who 
continued  not  by  reason  of  death,  Christ  Jesus  was 
constituted  the  High  Priest  of  our  profession  after 
the  power  of  an  endless  life.  The  fire  that  burned 
on  Jewish  altars  has  gone  out,  and  the  evening 
oblation  has  ceased  forever.  But  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  once  made,  shall  never  lose  its  power ;  and 
the  word  which  now  comes  to  us  from  the  Lamb 
of  God,  reigning  and  triumphant  in  heaven, — 
**  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also," — is  the  pledge 
of  our  final  victory,  abundant  entrance,  and  eternal 
residence  with  Him  above.     He  is  mighty  to  save. 

I  recall  a  remark  made  to  me  in  one  of  the  dark- 
est periods  of  modern  French  history.  When  the 
armies  of  France  had  suffered  many  and  disastrous 
defeats,  and  the  enemy  had  encamped  at  Versailles, 
and  crowded  the  avenues  of  the  Bois  Bolonge,  one 
who  loved  his  native  land  as  he  cherished  his  own 
life,  said,  ''If  the  first  Napoleon  were  yet  alive, 
this  shame  and  loss  would  not  have  come  to  my 


58  Christ's    Valedictory 

beloved  France."  But  the  dust  of  the  man  who 
was  once  the  arbiter  of  Europe's  destiny  sleeps  on 
the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and  no  appeal  of  suffering, 
no  memory  of  Austerlitz  or  Ostend,  no  hated  pres- 
ence of  a  once  vanquished  foe,  can  awaken  him  out 
of  sleep.  How  powerless  the  man  styled  great.  But 
the  Syrian  stars  do  not  look  down  on  the  grave  of 
Christ.  He  lives,  and  His  life  is  our  life ;  and  our 
years  shall  run  parallel  with  His  down  the  eternal 
ages. 

6.  The  alternative  presented  in  this  parting  mes- 
sage of  Christ.  It  is  to  accept  Him  as  the  way,  the 
truth  and  the  life,  and  live ;  or  reject  Him,  and  die. 
Salvation  through  Christ,  and  through  Him  alone, 
is  the  burden  of  inspiration.  Every  altar-fire  along 
the  generations  before  Christ;  the  solemn  priest- 
hood of  the  Hebrew  Church ;  the  tabernacle  in  the 
wilderness;  the  temple  crowning  Mount  Moriah; 
the  faith  and  hope  of  patriarchs,  prophets,  apos- 
tles ;  the  impressive  asseveration  and  reiteration  of 
Christ ;  the  towers  of  the  New  Jerusalem  lifted  out 
of  the  mists,  above  the  hills ;  the  vision  of  Patmos ; 
the  testimony  of  Christians  from  the  day  revelation 
closed  until  now;  and  the  experience  of  unbe- 
lievers in  every  age ;  make  it  evident  that,  in  Christ, 
there  is  salvation  for  all ;  and,  out  of  Him,  salvation 
for  none.  He  is  our  Ransom,  Righteousness,  Re- 
deemer, the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith,  our 
light  and  life,  our  way  and  end.  Do  we  truly  be- 
heve  ?     Is  our  faith  theoretical  only  ?     Is  our  hope 


The  Way  the  Truth  and  the  Life     59 

a  delusion  ?  Let  us  make  sure  work  for  eternity. 
We  do  not  accept  the  error  of  Rome,  that  doubt  is 
an  element  of  saving  faith.  It  is  our  privilege  to 
attain  to  the  full  assurance  of  hope. 

My  friend  told  me  he  had  seen  the  Pyramids, 
and  he  spoke  of  the  impression  made  upon  his 
mind  by  those  lofty  summits,  and  by  the  stony-eyed 
sphynx,  ever  looking  out  on  a  desert  sea,  and  gaz- 
ing silently  down  upon  many  a  pageant  of  worldly 
pomp  and  splendor  as  it  passed  by.  When  I  asked 
his  impression  of  the  land  called  Holy,  he  plain- 
tively said,  ''I  have  never  been  to  Palestine.  I 
left  Alexandria  in  a  vessel  announced  to  stop  at  the 
port  of  Joppa.  On  our  way  a  lone  sail  drew  near. 
Signals  were  exchanged.  We  knew  not  the  inter- 
pretation of  them.  We  were  then  in  sight  of  the 
Judean  hills,  and  my  heart  leaped  with  gladness  in 
prospect  of  seeing  Jerusalem,  Calvary  and  Olivet, 
and  sitting  among  the  trees  of  Gethsemane.  But  the 
prow  of  our  vessel  suddenly  turned  Westward  and 
the  coast  of  old  Canaan  faded  from  sight.  We 
went  to  Athens  and  sailed  the  Adriatic.  Alas  !  I 
have  never  been  to  Palestine,  and  now  that  I  am 
old,  and  burdened  with  the  infirmities  of  age,  I 
never  expect  to  tread  the  paths  once  trodden  by 
the  Saviour's  feet." 

The  narrative  impressed  me.  It  suggested 
the  question,  "May  many  who  hope  to  enter 
heaven  come  short  of  it?"  How  important  that, 
in  a  life  of  holy  obedience,  advancing  toward  per- 


60 


Christ's    Valedictory 


fection  as  the  years  go  by,  we  should  have  the  evi- 
dence of  saving  union  with  Christ,  who  has  so  sol- 
emnly, and  yet  so  tenderly  said,  **No  man  cometh 
unto  the  Father  but  by  Me." 


PHILIP'S  IGNORANCE 


If  ye  had  known  Me,  ye  should  have  known  My  Father 
also  :  and  fro7n  henceforth  ye  know  Him,  and  have  seen  Him. 
Philip  saith  unto  Him,  Lord,  shew  us  the  Father,  and  it  suf 
ficeth  us.  Jesus  saith  unto  hi??i.  Have  I  beeti  so  long  time 
with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  Me,  Philip  ?  he  that 
hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father ;  and  how  say  est  thou 
then,  Shew  us  the  Father  ?  — John  xiv.  7-9. 

Our  knowledge  is  but  in  part,  and  ijnperfect ;  the  most  of 
what  we  know,  is  the  least  of  what  we  do  not  know.  The 
gospel  is  as  a  rich  piece  of  arras,  rolled  up  ;  this  God  hath 
been  unfolding  e7>er  since  the  first  promise  was  made  to  Adam, 
opening  it  still  every  age  wider  than  other ;  but  the  world 
shall  sooner  be  at  an  end,  than  this  ?nystery  will  be  fully 
known.  Itideed  as  a  river  does  widen  its  channel,  and 
grows  broader,  as  it  approacheth  nearer  to  the  sea ;  so  the 
knowledge  of  this  mystery  doth  spread  every  age  more  than 
other,  and  still  will,  as  the  zuorld  draws  nearer  to  the  sea  of 
eternity,  into  which  it  must  at  last  fall. — Gurnall. 


IV 
PHILIP'S  IGNORANCE 

In  announcing  Himself  the  truth  and  the  life, 
Jesus  asserted  His  claim  to  the  Godhead.  These 
are  incommunicable  attributes.  Human  intelli- 
gence, when  it  has  reached  its  summit,  is  not 
truth;  and,  unaided  of  God,  cannot  attain  to  a 
knowledge  of  it.  No  created  being  has  ever  evolved 
life  from  death,  or  brought  something  out  of  noth- 
ing. Christ  occupies  the  higher  plane  of  deity. 
But  His  disciples  do  not  know  Him  fully.  They 
have  not  comprehended  His  sayings  concerning 
His  essential  unity  with  the  Father.  The  time  is 
near  when  they  shall  know  better  Him  whom  they 
have  seen.  But  the  day  lingers.  The  veil  of  prej- 
udice and  erroneous  preconception  still  hangs  be- 
tween. Hence  one  of  them,  speaking  for  the  rest, 
says,  ''  Shew  us  the  Father  and  it  sufficeth  us." 

In  the  theophanies  of  former  times  patriarchs  and 
prophets  had  seen  God,  and  in  visions  they  be- 
held His  glory.  The  disciples  would  have  some 
such  visible  manifestation  of  the  Father.  Christ 
was  evidently  possessed  of  superhuman  power. 
Let  Him  summon  the  Father  out  of  His  secrecy 
that  they  may  behold  Him,  then  shall  their  longings 
63 


64  Christ's    Valedictory 

be  met.  Their  minds  are  confused.  Christ  Him- 
self is  a  mystery.  They  admire  His  supernatural 
endowments,  but  their  logic  breaks  down,  and  their 
promises  do  not  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  can 
awe  and  yet  satisfy  them ;  making  that  upper  room 
in  Jerusalem  a  veritable  presence-chamber  of  God. 

''Shew  us  the  Father."  Then  Jesus,  in  a  tone 
of  mild  rebuke,  replies ;  "  Have  I  been  so  long  time 
with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  Me,  Philip  ? 
He  that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father ;  and 
how  sayest  thou  then.  Shew  us  the  Father?  "  01- 
hausen,  the  devout  German  theologian,  has  well 
remarked  that,  *'  The  language  of  Jesus  to  Philip 
plainly  indicates  that  the  struggle  with  the  weak- 
ness of  the  disciples  formed  a  part  of  the  Redeem- 
er's sufferings."  In  terms  which  are  unequivocal, 
and  which  a  disingenuous  mind  will  not  misinter- 
pret, Christ  asserts  that  He  and  the  Father  are  one ; 
and  being  essentially  one,  He  is  very  God,  whilst 
robed,  for  our  sakes,  in  human  form. 

Let  us  observe  : 

I.  The  Necessity  of  Christ's  Incarnation. 
''Shew  us  the  Father." 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to  measure  the  knowledge 
of  God  before  the  advent  of  Christ.  It  was  evi- 
dently small.  God  was  a  spirit,  and  worldly  eyes 
could  not  see  Him.  Men  knew  something  of  His 
attributes.  In  the  beginning  He  had  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  Therefore  they  concluded 
He  was  omnipotent.     He  had  expressed  His  hatred 


Philip's  Ignorance  65 

of  sin  in  startling  judgments,  multiplied  as  the 
years  advanced  and  wickedness  increased.  From 
all  this  they  learned  that  He  was  just  and  holy. 
He  had  sent  rain  and  fruitful  seasons,  and  had 
filled  their  hearts  with  food  and  gladness.  More- 
over he  had  told  them  that  provision  had  been 
made  for  their  salvation,  and  that,  in  the  fullness 
of  time,  redemption  would  be  more  clearly  revealed. 
Hence  they  were  persuaded  that  God  was  good. 

Yet  the  testimony  as  to  His  character  was  con- 
flicting. His  attributes  jostled  each  other,  and  in 
the  expression  of  them  there  was  an  order  of  succes- 
sion like  that  of  day  and  night,  of  calm  and  storm. 
They  were  bewildered.  After  all  the  manifesta- 
tions of  Himself  in  His  dealings  with  them.  His 
power,  justice  and  love  were  largely  abstractions. 
Jehovah  was  an  ideal  being,  curtained  about  with 
clouds,  dwelling  in  silence,  unseen  and  unknown. 
Men  inquired  after  Him,  turned  their  faces  heaven- 
ward by  day,  by  night,  and  besought  Him  to  show 
Himself;  but  He  still  abode  in  mysterious  secrecy. 
They  sank  under  their  burdens  of  care,  anxiety  and 
sorrow ;  and  sobbed  all  along  the  darkened  road. 
No  voice  of  sympathy  brought  comfort,  no  support- 
ing arm  gave  relief. 

That  this  necessity  might  in  some  measure  be 
met,  God  appeared  at  long  intervals  in  a  human 
form.  Each  interview  was  brief,  and  when  ended, 
the  miraculous  presence  vanished.  To  foreshadow 
redemption,    a    priesthood   was  appointed,    altar§ 


66  Christ's    Valedictory 

reared,  sacrifices  offered,  and  the  Mosaic  ritual  ex- 
tended through  fifteen  hundred  years.  But  all  this 
was  inadequate.  It  was  a  hint  of  what  was  to 
come,  rather  than  a  ministry  to  immediate  need. 
Largely  because  of  this  the  Church  embraced  but 
few.  Even  when  the  theocracy  was  established 
the  Israelites,  as  compared  with  surrounding  na- 
tions, were  a  feeble  people,  occupying  a  small 
country  shut  in  by  mountain  ranges  and  the  great 
sea.  The  world  waited  for  the  Son  of  Mary.  God 
must  be  revealed  in  human  form,  and  continue  in 
it.  His  perfections  must  link  themselves  with  our 
nature ;  find  expression  in  an  audible  voice ;  touch 
our  trembling  frame  through  human  hands ;  pillow 
our  aching  heads  on  a  human  breast;  illustrate 
every  attribute  of  the  Godhead  in  a  life  on  earthly 
ground ;  interpret  the  written  law  by  a  personal  ex- 
ample, and  the  promised  redemption  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  cross.  When  all  this  had  been  accom- 
plished, the  narrow  walls  which  enclosed  Israel  were 
taken  down,  and  the  gospel  embraced  in  its  com- 
pass the  whole  world.  Then  God  was  revealed  in 
Christ. 

Yet  at  the  period  we  now  contemplate  we  are 
reminded  of : 

2.     The  disciples'  ignorance  of  Christ. 

"Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet 
hast  thou  not  known  Me,  Philip?"  We  are  in 
danger  of  forming  an  uncharitable  judgment  of 
these  early  disciples.     We  are  living  in  a  better 


Philip's  Ignorance  67 

day.  Then,  the  sun  was  just  rising  above  the  hills. 
The  light  was  dim,  and  objects  were  indistinct. 
The  evidence  of  Christ's  Godhead  and  of  the 
truth  of  Christianity  is  cumulative.  The  mists 
have  lifted  and  with  us  it  is  high  noon.  But  to 
Philip  and  his  associates  there  was  a  seeming  con- 
tradiction in  Christ's  claims.  In  Him,  strength 
and  weakness,  glory  and  shame,  were  strangely 
combined.  His  very  works  confused  their  judg- 
ment of  Him;  and  His  words  were  in  apparent 
conflict.  He  was  the  Son  of  Mary,  they  knew. 
How  then  is  He  the  Son  of  God  ?  He  began  to 
live  thirty  years  before.  What  does  He  mean 
when  He  says  :  ''  Before  Abraham  I  am  "  ?  Has 
He  not  often  spoken  of  the  Father  as  being  superior 
to  Himself?  How  then  can  essential  equality 
exist  ?  Yet  the  evidence  He  had  furnished  of  His 
Godhead  should  have  been  sufficient.  Why  could 
they  not  have  waited  for  the  interpretation  of  the 
humiliation,  since  they  had  beheld  His  glory  on 
the  Mount  ? 

He  wrought  miracles,  and  thereby  showed  Him- 
self superior  to  natural  law.  And  if  superior  to 
natural  law.  He  must  have  been  maker  of  it ; 
therefore  God.  When  He  walked  on  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  each  footstep  proclaimed  His  divinity. 
No  imperial  edict,  as  that  of  Canute's,  could  stay 
the  tide  when  it  had  once  set  toward  the  shore ; 
but  winds  and  waves  obeyed  our  Lord.  When 
Lazarus,  at  His  bidding,  though  he  had  been  dead 


68  Christ's    Valedictory 

four  days,  came  forth ;  many  who  beheld  this  token 
of  supernatural  power  believed  Him  to  be  divine. 

Then,  too,  the  most  abstruse  subjects  were,  to 
Christ's  mind,  as  comprehensible  as  the  simplest 
truths.  His  evident  knowledge  of  God,  the  spirit- 
uality of  His  law,  the  solemnities  of  the  future 
world,  its  mysterious  inhabitants,  its  modes  of  life, 
and  its  eternal  awards,  suggested  that  He  belonged 
to  the  world  of  which  He  spake.  That  Philip, 
who  was  the  first  subject  of  Christ's  divine  call, 
and  for  three  years  had  attended  on  His  public 
ministry,  should  have  remained  so  far  in  ignorance 
of  the  Master's  relations  to  the  Father,  is,  even 
yet,  an  almost  inexplicable  fact.  As  the  greatest 
of  Romans  when  the  fatal  steel  pierced  him,  ex- 
perienced a  sad,  overwhelming  surprise,  exclaim- 
ing, <<And  thou,  Brutus!"  so  Christ,  who  had 
often  spoken  of  His  oneness  with  the  Father,  the 
same  in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory,  had 
reason  to  express  His  sadness  in  that  reproachful 
word,  ''  Hast  thou  not  known  Me,  Philip?  " 

These  disciples  lived  in  between  the  birth  and 
death  of  Christ;  between  the  manger-cradle  and 
the  cloud  chariot ;  hence  their  limited  knowledge 
was  voiced  in  the  request,  ''Shew  us  the  Father." 
Yet  they  knew  more  than  this  request  implies. 
They  had  learned  what  prophets  never  knew ;  had 
seen  what  the  Hebrew  Church  had  never  seen ; 
had  experienced,  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  their 
being,  what  Bible  saints  had  never  felt.     Their  as- 


Philip's  Ignorance  69 

sociation  with  Christ  had  been  intimate,  protracted 
and  confidential ;  and  they  alone  were  qualified  to 
be  His  apostles.  Let  us  not  think  meanly  of  the 
eleven,  even  at  this  stage  of  their  fellowship  with 
Christ.  They  knew  He  was  the  Messiah  of  proph- 
ecy, and  though  they  could  not  comprehend  His 
relations  to  the  Father,  they  esteemed  the  Son  of 
God,  as  the  light  of  the  world,  and  the  Redeemer 
of  lost  men ;  and  they  knew  all  this  in  a  fullness 
and  intensity  the  preceding  ages  had  not  known. 

The  character  of  God,  which  had  been  chiefly  a 
veiled  abstraction,  a  vague  undivided  unity,  was 
revealed  to  them  in  the  peerless  beauty  of  Christ's 
life,  as  the  bow  which  spans  the  retiring  cloud  un- 
braids  the  tissues  of  light  and  gives  us  the  prismatic 
colors  with  which  God  paints  the  grass  of  the 
meadows,  the  lilies  of  the  field,  and  the  azure  hue 
of  distant  mountains. 

The  disciples  had  learned  so  much  of  God  in 
Christ,  that  they  felt  they  knew  comparatively 
nothing.  They  stood  on  the  margin  of  great  facts, 
of  measureless  thoughts,  of  infinite  spaces ;  and  the 
good  they  sought  was  so  far  removed  that  the  space 
over  which  they  had  come  seemed  but  a  span,  and 
their  attitude  toward  God  was  one  of  great  lowli- 
ness and  true  humbleness  of  mind.  They  might 
have  known  more.  They  had  reason  for  gratitude 
that  they  did  not  know  less.  Their  hearts  were 
better  than  their  heads ;  while  in  knowledge  they 
excelled  the  stature  of  high  priests  and  rulers,  as  in 


TO  Christ's   Valedictory 

physical  form  Saul,  the  son  of  Kish,  towered  above 
the  child  at  his  feet.  And  Christ  was  nearer  right 
than  Thomas  when  He  said,  ''Whither  I  go  ye 
know,  and  the  way  ye  know,"  though  the  reply  of 
the  latter  seemed  against  this  conviction.  Igno- 
rance thinks  it  knows  everythmg  ;  knowledge,  that 
it  knows  nothing. 

The  disciples  knew  more  when  Christ  was  gone. 
Then  it  was  evident  to  them  that  His  teaching, 
simple  and  yet  profound,  lucid  as  the  light  yet 
fathomless  as  the  sea,  leaving  all  philosophies  far 
beneath,  and  dealing  familiarly  with  mysteries  hid- 
den from  human  thought,  proved  Him  God.  His 
home  was  on  high,  in  the  realms  of  truth.  For 
man's  sake,  He  touched  the  earth  for  a  little,  and 
then  returned  to  the  world  whence  He  came ;  as  the 
angel  from  the  plain  of  Mamre,  and  Gabriel  from 
Daniel's  chamber. 

The  narrative  has  lessons  we  shall  do  well  to 
consider.  We  ought  to  know  Christ  better  than 
His  immediate  disciples  knew  Him,  and  love  Him 
more.  The  truth  concerning  Him  has  unfolded  as 
the  advancing  day.  Christ's  name  and  influence 
live,  a  growing  factor  in  the  world's  advancement, 
as  the  generations  travel  on.  If  His  humiliation 
was  great,  so  are  His  triumph  and  power.  His  life 
touches  our  secular  life.  The  calendars  of  the 
civilized  world  recognize  His  birth.  Poetry,  paint- 
ing and  sculpture,  draw  their  loftiest  inspiration 
from  Him.    Beneficent  government  is  largely  based 


Philip's  Ignorance  Tl 

on  principles  He  enunciated .  Emperors  are  crowned 
in  His  name.  The  world's  most  costly  cathedrals 
are  erected  to  His  memory.  Even  corrupt  religions 
maintain  whatever  of  vitality  they  possess  by  in- 
scribing His  name  on  their  altars,  or  writing  it  in 
their  creeds.  Earthly  rulers  may  extend  their  pos- 
sessions, and  conquer  feebler  nations ;  they  cannot 
control  the  affections  or  behefs,  of  their  subjects. 
But  Jesus  wins  our  love,  dwells  in  the  inner  sanctu- 
ary of  our  being,  and  persuades  us  to  think  His 
thoughts,  and  choose  His  ways,  and  bind  ourselves 
to  Him  in  a  devotion  so  great,  that  we  would  rather 
yield  our  lives  than  interrupt  our  loyalty  to  Him. 
Surely  He  is  God. 

The  doctrine  of  Christ's  essential  equality  with 
the  Father,  and  oneness  with  Him;  the  doctrine 
of  His  proper,  personal  divinity;  is  the  corner- 
stone of  our  precious  faith.  If  He  is  not  God  our 
hope  is  vain,  and  we  are  yet  in  our  sins.  With  the 
light  afforded  us,  to  deny  that  He  is  God  of  very 
God,  is  to  perish  in  unbelief.  To  prove  His  eter- 
nal Sonship,  John  wrote  his  gospel.  To  win  our 
confidence  in  Him  who  lived  before  the  worlds.  He 
sets  forth  the  unparalleled  integrity  of  His  life.  His 
infinite  love,  His  measureless  glory,  and  His  readi- 
ness to  receive  all  who  come  unto  Him.  Our  Lord 
Himself  was  not  willing  to  leave  His  disciples  until 
they  had  learned  His  unity  with  the  Father,  and 
accepted  Him  as  the  spiritual  Messiah.  Hence 
His  appeal  to  His  miracles  which  expressed  His 


T2  Christ's    Valedictory 

supernatural  power,  and  proved  Him  God.  "  Be- 
lieve Me  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in 
Me :  or  else  believe  Me  for  the  very  works'  sake." 
At  last  Philip  saw  and  believed.  Doubting  Thomas 
exclaimed,  *'  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "  and  all  the 
disciples  crowned  Him  their  King.  Then  Jesus' 
work  was  done,  and  He  returned  to  the  Father. 
Pentecost  deepened  the  conviction  of  His  divinity, 
drew  thousands  to  the  shelter  of  His  cross,  and 
attached  them  in  unswerving  loyalty  to  His  throne. 

If  we  are  Christians,  we  feel  that  there  is  an  in- 
finite distance  between  ourselves  and  Christ,  now 
exalted  on  His  throne,  and  we  thankfully  bow  the 
knee  to  Him  who  stooped  that  we  might  rise,  and 
died  that  we  might  live.  With  Jean  Paul  Richter, 
we  adore  the  Christ  who,  being  ''  the  holiest 
among  the  mighty,  and  the  mightiest  among  the 
holy,  has  lifted  with  His  pierced  hand  empires  off 
their  hinges,  and  has  turned  the  stream  of  centuries 
out  of  its  channel,  and  still  governs  the  ages." 

In  conclusion,  let  us  remember  that  it  is  not 
competent  for  us  to  determine  how  little  knowledge 
of  spiritual  truth  is  consistent  with  salvation. 
Christ  stoops  to  the  lowest  in  intelligence  who, 
conscious  of  sin,  seek  in  Him  salvation  from  it. 
The  newborn  soul  may  live  within  a  horizon  so 
narrow  that  it  knows  nothing  of  the  intimations  of 
Christ  in  Old  Testament  history,  and  of  the  long 
extended  tutelage  that  prepared  the  way  for  the 
advent.     Many  never   had   heard  of  Moses,   the 


Philip's  Ignorance  Y3 

Hebrew  Lawgiver,  of  David  who  sang  of  the  ex- 
pected Messiah,  of  Isaiah,  who,  looking  from  the 
summits  of  prophecy,  beheld  the  conquering  Prince 
of  Peace ;  of  Micah  who  with  prophetic  vision  saw 
the  world's  Redeemer  come  forth  from  Bethlehem- 
Ephratah,  the  little  city  crowning  the  Judean  hills  ; 
of  Paul  and  Peter  and  John,  and  many  of  the  great 
truths  they  recorded  after  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness shone  in  the  zenith  of  the  glorious  coronation ; 
may  be  unable  to  define  the  terms  which  set  forth 
the  sovereignity  of  God,  the  eternal  election,  the 
work  of  the  Spirit,  the  second  Advent  of  our  Lord ; 
or  to  trace  the  line  of  Christian  experience  which, 
starting  with  sin,  runs  through  realms  of  grace, 
and  leads  to  a  kingdom  of  glory. 

But  it  is  necessary,  to  a  saving  faith,  that  there 
shall  be  a  conception  of  Christ's  personal  glory, 
lifted  infinitely  above  the  level  of  our  humanity, 
truly  God,  mighty  to  save  and  strong  to  deliver. 
May  the  Holy  Spirit,  whatever  else  may  be  with- 
held, teach  us  who  Christ  is,  what  was  His  errand 
to  this  world,  and  His  willingness  •  and  power  to 
save  all  who  seek  access  to  the  Father  through 
Him.  And  now  with  an  experience  of  His  love,  a 
place  in  His  kingdom,  and  a  hope  of  heaven, 
which  brightens  with  the  advancing  years ;  having 
seen  much  of  His  glory  as  revealed  in  the  Word  of 
God,  and  as  interpreted  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  let  us 
bring  forth  the  royal  diadem,  and  crown  Him  Lord 
of  all. 


CHRIST'S   ONENESS  WITH  THE  FATHER 


Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father ,  and  the  Father 
in  Me  ?  the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you  I  speak  not  of  My- 
self:  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  Me,  He  doeth  the 
works.  Believe  Me  that  J  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  Me  :  or  else  believe  Me  for  the  very  works*  sake. — John 
xiv.  lo,  II. 

Mahomet,  come  to  replace  the  reign  of  idols,  did  not  call 
himself  God,  but  a  simple  envoy  of  God.  And  if  we  would 
go  back  beyond  idolatry  in  search  of  the  most  arrogant  im- 
postures, we  shall  find  even  in  the  heart  of  India  nothing  but 
narrations  without  consistency,  ages  without  date,  a  shapeless 
abyss,  in  which  our  vision  will  be  totally  unable  to  discover 
any  authentic  mortal  bold  enough  to  declare  that  he  was 
God,  formally  and  distinctly,  by  those  two  ineffable  words  :  I 
am. — Lacordaire. 


CHRIST'S  ONENESS  WITH  THE  FATHER 

Our  Lord  having  reproved  the  ignorance  of  His 
disciples  touching  His  essential  unity  with  the 
Father,  proceeds  to  restate  this  oneness  in  terms 
which  involve  His  personal  divinity.  He  alludes 
to  His  words  and  to  His  works.  These  are  cor- 
roborative. 

His  teachings,  supported  by  the  consciousness  of 
men,  and  answering  their  soul's  cry,  unanswered 
before,  and  bringing  them  under  the  power  of  an 
invisible  world,  were  in  harmony  with  His  works 
and  confirmed  by  them.  Hence  Jesus  says,  "  The 
words  that  I  speak  unto  you  I  speak  not  of  My- 
self; "  that  is,  not  as  a  mere  man,  independently 
of  God  ;  ''but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  Me,  He 
doeth  the  works." 

The  relation  which  Christ  sustains  to  the  Father, 
described  by  the  words,  ''  I  am  in  the  Father  and  the 
Father  in  Me, ' '  declares  His  proper,  personal  God- 
head. In  harmony  with  this,  one  of  the  venerable 
creeds  of  the  church  says  of  Christ,  He  is  ''God 
of  very  God."  This  doctrine  of  our  Lord's  divin- 
ity, is  fundamental  to  the  Christian's  system.  This 
interprets  the  emphasis  laid  upon  it  in  Christ's 
farewell  address.  The  acceptance  of  it  is  necessary 
77 


78  Christ's    Valedictory 

to  our  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  with  the 
Son  ;  to  an  intelligent  restful  hope ;  and  to  the  in- 
ward testimony  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  witnessing 
through  the  words  of  Christ  that  we  have  been 
born  of  God. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  Christ  spake  not 
only  to  His  immediate  disciples,  and  to  the  age  in 
which  He  lived,  but  also  to  the  race,  and  to  all  the 
generations  following  ;  we  do  well  to  consider  the 
evidence  of  His  divinity,  as  furnished  both  in  His 
words  and  works. 

Jesus  was  a  unique  person,  in  whom  two  distinct 
natures,  the  human  and  divine,  were  indissolubly 
joined.  Let  us  meditate  for  a  while  on  His  per- 
sonal divinity.  The  scriptural  argument  in  sup- 
port of  this  doctrine  is  unanswerable.  But  let  us 
consider  it  from  lower  grounds,  then  advance  to  the 
higher. 

I.  The  results  of  Christ's  life  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for  except  on  the  ground  of  His  divinity. 

We  are  asked  to  believe  in  Him  "for  the  very 
works'  sake."  When  the  Saviour  left  the  world. 
His  disciples  numbered  five  hundred ;  but  He  had 
laid  the  indestructible  foundations  of  the  church 
which  is  destined  to  embrace  the  whole  world. 

Of  this  consummation  an  intimation  was  given 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  during  the  weeks  fol- 
lowing, when  converts  representing  all  nations  were 
rapidly  multiplied,  and  the  hope  was  cherished  by 
the  fact,  that  during  the  first  century  of  the  Chris- 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     79 

tian  era,  the  gospel  extended  its  conquest  from 
Jerusalem  to  the  ends  of  the  then  known  earth. 

Those  were  not  merely  human  hands  that  ac- 
complished this  result.  Christ's  humble  origin  was 
unfavorable  for  a  great  revolution  in  the  religious 
thought  of  the  world.  It  isolated  Him  from  the 
sympathy  and  support  of  those  who  controlled 
popular  sentiment,  and  from  all  the  agencies  of 
worldly  power.  Moreover,  He  spent  nearly  all  His 
life  in  an  insignificant  village,  and  among  despised 
Galileans.  Hence  the  derisive  inquiry — ''Can 
any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?  "  and  the 
oft  repeated  statement,  opposed  to  His  authority  as 
a  Teacher,  "  Out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  Prophet." 

Christ's  lowliness  in  birth  and  social  relations, 
as  viewed  from  a  merely  human  standpoint,  was 
against  Him.  It  surely  gave  no  promise  of  a 
world-wide  influence  and  moral  power  exceeding 
that  of  the  Caesars. 

More  than  this,  Christ  was  uneducated.  His 
poverty  precluded  the  possibility  of  study.  He 
had  no  Gamaliel  to  instruct  Him,  no  noted  Rabbi 
to  aid  His  search  after  truth.  He  had  not  the  ad- 
vantages of  an  ordinary  education,  such  as  the 
poorest  child  enjoys  to-day.  *'  How  knoweth  this 
man  letters  (or  learning)  having  never  learned  ? ' ' 
And  yet  at  the  age  of  thirty,  Jesus  came  forth 
from  the  obscurity  of  Nazareth,  in  the  garb  of  a 
humble  artisan,  and  announced  Himself  the  long- 
expected  Messiah. 


80  Christ's    Valedictory 

The  common  people  scorned  Him;  the  rulers 
thought  Him  mad  ;  and  the  priesthood  pronounced 
Him  a  blasphemer  who  deserved  to  die.  And  yet 
He  lived  and  taught,  and  wrought  greater  works 
than  Moses  or  any  later  prophet.  He  went  where 
He  pleased,  and  none  dared  harm  Him.  Men  were 
sent  to  apprehend  Him,  and  returned  without  Him. 
An  infuriated  mob  gathered  about  Him,  and  He 
walked  calmly  out  of  their  midst,  as  Israel  through 
the  Jordan,  and  went  His  way.  It  is  true  He  suf- 
fered an  ignominious  death  at  the  last;  but  it  was 
with  His  own  consent.  The  cross  was  a  symbol  of 
triumph.  The  sepulchre  was  the  gate  of  glory. 
Having  ascended  to  the  Father,  He  shook  the  world 
to  its  centre  by  the  words  He  spake  through  His 
disciples,  confirmed  by  signs  following. 

Does  the  history  of  the  world,  through  six  thou- 
sand years,  furnish  a  life  at  all  comparable  to  His  ? 
Did  any  one  ever  surmount  obstacles  so  formid- 
able, and  from  like  obscurity  rise  to  equal  emi- 
nence? Moses  was  great,  and  his  memory  will 
never  die;  but  who  would  compare  the  adopted 
son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter  with  the  Son  of  Mary ; 
the  man  learned  in  all  wisdom  of  Egypt,  with  the 
untutored  carpenter  of  Nazareth;  the  man  who 
had  the  sympathies  of  two  millions  of  people,  with 
the  despised  Galilean  whose  friends  were  few  and 
powerless  to  aid  Him  ?  And  yet,  with  all  his 
advantages  of  position,  education,  and  national 
support;   the   work  of  this  greatest  of  Hebrews 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     81 

was   but  a  dim  foreshadowing  of  the  mission  of 
Jesus. 

In  later  times  there  have  been  men  who  were  as 
''levers  to  uplift  the  earth  and  roll  it  in  another 
course."  That  He  may  magnify  His  grace,  God 
often  chooses  the  least  promising  agencies  to  ac- 
complish His  great  designs.  When  He  would  re- 
veal a  new  world,  which  should  be  the  asylum  of 
His  oppressed  saints,  a  seeming  outpost  of  heaven, 
He  selected  the  son  of  a  woolcomber,  a  sailor  boy 
on  the  Mediterranean,  and  sent  him  on  a  perillous 
but  successful  voyage  across  a  pathless  sea.  When 
He  would  roll  back  the  clouds  of  error  which  had 
gathered  over  papal  Europe,  and  lead  a  dark- 
minded  and  burdened  people  to  the  cross,  and 
thence  into  the  light  of  a  glorious  hope,  He  chose 
as  the  medium  of  His  power  the  son  of  a  miner, 
the  secluded  monk  of  Erfurt.  When  He  would 
quicken  to  newness  of  life  a  languishing  Church, 
and  send  salvation  beyond  the  seas,  He  designated 
as  the  honored  instrument,  a  humble  youth  en- 
gaged in  menial  employment  in  a  village  inn.  But 
by  gradual  steps,  long  discipline,  protracted  and 
life-consuming  labor,  these  men  attained  to  emi- 
nence and  power ;  yet  none  of  them  approached, 
even  remotely,  to  the  grandeur  of  the  life  which 
began  in  Bethlehem,  was  obscured  at  the  cross,  and 
then  triumphed  over  death  and  hell.  How  ex- 
plain this  singular  greatness ;  this  isolation  from 
all  the  race;  this  incomparable  superiority  to  all 


82  Christ's    Valedictory 

who  had  lived  before  Him  ?  I  know  not  how,  ex- 
cept on  the  ground  of  His  divinity.  He  lived 
among  men,  and  yet  was  infinitely  exalted  above 
them.  He  is  the  mighty  God,  the  Everlasting 
Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  whose  coming  the 
prophets  foretold,  whose  birth  the  angels  an- 
nounced, whose  glorified  humanity  the  highest 
heavens  received. 

2.  Consider,  next,  the  means  by  which  Christ 
attained  to  power. 

There  are  religious  sects  whose  founders  made 
their  converts  by  means  of  the  sword,  or  com- 
manded the  support  of  royalty,  or  with  the  aid  of 
great  armies  hewed  their  way  to  success.  Some 
appealed  to  the  fears,  the  passions,  and  the  lusts  of 
men.  They  put  themselves  in  harmony  with  human 
depravity,  or  pretended  to  meet  the  necessities  of 
man's  higher  nature  on  conditions  which  required 
no  worldly  sacrifice  or  loss.  Hence  the  false  re- 
ligions of  the  East,  and  the  disbeliefs  of  the  West. 
It  is  the  old  spirit  in  man  which  would  retain  the 
sins  of  Sodom  and  yet  escape  its  doom ;  that  pre- 
fers Abana  and  Pharpar,  rivers  of  Damascus,  to  all 
the  waters  of  Israel ;  that  would  make  everything 
of  self,  nothing  of  Him  who  is  the  only  Redeemer 
of  men. 

But  Jesus  did  not  establish  His  kingdom  by  re- 
sorting to  violence,  or  by  conniving  at  sin.  His 
church  was  founded  by  love,  and  its  fruit  was 
holiness.     He  labored  alone.     He  walked  quietly 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     83 

abroad,  speaking  with  authority  and  yet  simply, 
that  the  iiUterate  might  comprehend;  and  affec- 
tionately, that  hearts  might  be  won,  to  the  truth. 
If  He  spake  of  wrath  to  come,  He  did  it  tenderly, 
and  then  revealed  a  refuge  from  it.  Thus,  under 
a  sweet  constraint,  men  gave  up  everything  for 
Him,  dismissed  their  prejudices  and  their  sins,  and, 
taking  the  attitude  of  discipleship,  learned  of  Him  ! 

And  He  still  maintains  His  kingdom  by  the  same 
means.  ''  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us." 
Men  have  surrendered  worldly  wealth,  submitted 
to  all  modes  of  torture,  and  have  died  at  the  stake, 
on  the  gibbet,  and  by  the  rack,  for  the  love  Jesus 
bore  to  them,  and  the  love  they  bore  to  Him. 

When  the  enemies  of  Christ  have  banded  them- 
selves against  the  Church;  when  the  little  flock 
has  been  scattered  abroad;  when  infidelity  has 
scoffed  at  our  precious  faith,  and  all  things  seemed 
against  the  truth  and  its  friends;  even  then  the 
love  of  Christ  has  bound  to  His  person  and  His 
cross  a  faithful  few,  and  to-day  there  are  millions, 
in  this  and  other  lands,  who  would  die  before  the 
going  down  of  the  sun,  rather  than  deny  the  Lord 
that  bought  them. 

This  cannot  be  said  of  any  other.  He  was 
fully  competent  to  speak  who  said,  **  Alexander, 
Caesar,  Hannibal,  Louis  XIV.,  conquered  the 
world  and  had  not  a  friend."  When  a  prisoner  on 
the  island  of  St.  Helena,  Napoleon  said,  with  a 
choked  utterance ;   '*  Now  that  I  am  alone,  chained 


84  Christ's   Valedictory 

to  this  rock,  who  fights  and  wins  empires  for  me  ? 
Where  are  any  ready  to  share  my  misfortunes? 
Any  to  think  of  me?  Who  bestirs  himself  for 
me  in  Europe?  Who  remains  faithful  to  me? 
Where  are  my  friends?"  And  then  he  added, 
'*  What  a  wide  abyss  between  my  deep  misery  and 
the  eternal  kingdom  of  Christ,  which  is  proclaimed, 
loved  and  adored,  and  which  is  extended  over  all 
the  earth."  Can  all  this  be  explained  on  the  as- 
sumption that  Jesus  was  a  mere  man,  or  the  great- 
est of  men  ?  Could  the  ministry  of  an  uneducated 
Nazarene,  continued  through  only  three  years,  op- 
posed by  rulers,  and  scorned  by  the  great,  have  se- 
cured such  results,  laying  the  foundations  of  a 
mightier  kingdom  than  the  world  ever  saw  before, 
or  has  since  beheld,  established  not  by  physical 
might  nor  worldly  power,  if  the  Son  of  Mary  had 
not  also  been,  what  He  claimed  to  be,  the  Son  of 
God?  "The  Father  that  dwelleth  in  Me,  He 
doeth  the  works." 

3.     Christ's  conquests  are  Spiritual. 

Herein  He  is  distinguished  from  all  other  con- 
querors. He  enters  a  realm  which  no  one  else  has 
ever  entered,  and  reigns  supreme  where  no  one  else 
has  ever  reigned.  We  are  familiar  with  the  vic- 
tories carnal  weapons  have  achieved.  We  accept 
all  that  history  records  concerning  Alexander,  who, 
when  but  twenty-two  years  of  age,  carried  his  con- 
quering arms  from  Macedon  to  the  shores  of  the 
Indian  Ocean  ;  of  Hannibal,  who  crossed  the  Alps, 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     85 

and,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six,  encamped  his  army 
under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Roman  Capitol ;  of 
Napoleon,  at  the  age  of  thirty-three  an  emperor, 
and  the  acknowledged  umpire  of  Europe.  But 
there  is  a  wide  distinction  between  the  subjugation 
of  a  continent  and  the  conquest  of  a  single  mind. 
Rolhn,  in  his  ''Ancient  History"  has  said,  ''the 
kings  who  glory  so  much  in  their  power,  have  noth- 
ing that  approximates  in  the  least  to  that  of  Christ. 
They  do  not  reign  over  the  will  of  man,  which  is 
real  dominion.  Their  subjects  can  think  as  they 
please,  independently  of  them.  But  with  Christ  it 
is  far  otherwise.  '  All  power  is  given  unto  Him,  in 
heaven,  and  on  earth.'  He  exercises  it  principally 
upon  the  minds  and  hearts  of  men.  Nothing  is 
done  without  His  permission.  Everything  is  dis- 
posed by  His  wisdom  and  power." 

4.  The  Character  of  Jesus  furnishes  an  argu- 
ment for  His  Divinity. 

It  is  the  only  perfect  character  the  world  has 
ever  seen.  Through  all  His  life  Christ  maintained 
an  untarnished  holiness.  He  exhibited  supreme 
love  to  God,  and  a  measureless  love  to  men.  The 
powers  and  virtues  of  His  soul  continued  in  unin- 
terrupted harmony.  One  attribute  of  excellence 
did  not  exclude  another.  If  His  majesty  was  cal- 
culated to  overawe  men.  His  condescension  attracted 
them.  If  He  moved  among  His  people  as  one 
who  came  from  another  world,  and  was  spiritually 
isolated  from  this,  yet  it  was  soon  discovered  tliat 


86  Christ's    Valedictory 

He  was  in  the  deepest  sympathy  with  our  race,  and 
not  ashamed  to  call  the  lowliest,  brethren.  If  He 
was  faithful  in  His  portrayal  of  human  character, 
and  with  the  greatest  solemnity  foretold  the  conse- 
quences of  sin,  yet  an  unparalleled  tenderness 
marked  every  utterance,  and  an  habitual  yearning 
for  the  salvation  of  men.  He  was  tempted,  but 
never  sinned.  He  was  reviled,  but  reviled  not 
again.  He  was  persecuted,  but  threatened  not. 
Men  scoffed  at  and  cursed  Him,  sought  His  life 
and  took  it ;  but  He  addressed  them  in  loving 
messages,  pronounced  benedictions  upon  them, 
and  died  interceding  in  their  behalf. 

Let  infidelity  fix  its  gaze  upon  the  Son  of  Man, 
and  stay  it  there ;  and  it  will  experience  a  sense  of 
awe  inspired  by  that  matchless  humanity — God 
manifested  in  the  flesh.  Only  the  blind  blaspheme. 
Only  the  self-deceived  draw  shameful  caricatures 
of  Christ.  They  are  like  the  idiot  who  thought 
to  paint  the  glorious  morning  with  charcoal.  We 
have  grown  familiar  with  Rosseau's  declaration, 
''Socrates  lived  and  died  like  a  Sage;  but  Jesus 
Christ  lived  and  died  Hke  a  God." 

Could  one  charge  affecting  His  moral  character 
have  been  brought  against  Christ,  and  sustained, 
that  alone  would  have  invalidated  His  claim  to 
Messiahship,  and  brought  to  a  perpetual  end  the 
system  of  religion  which  bears  His  name.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  we  concede  moral  perfection  to 
Christ,  we  must  recognize  His  divinity.     Holy  as 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     87 

God  is  holy,  He  could  say  ''I  am  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  in  Me." 

5.     We  infer  His  Divinity  from  His  teachings. 

He  taught  as  no  man  ever  taught.  He  intro- 
duced men  into  a  world  of  thought  they  had  never 
entered,  or  on  the  borders  of  which  they  had 
stood,  peering  out  upon  the  great  unknown.  He 
solved  dark  enigmas,  answered  anxious  question- 
ings, harmonized  what  seemed  in  eternal  conflict. 
He  revealed  God  to  men  ;  revealed  man  to  him- 
self. He  foretold  the  future;  predicted  human 
destiny;  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light. 
He  spake  of  sin  and  depravity ;  of  the  new-birth 
and  holiness;  of  faith  and  its  reward;  of  hope 
and  its  fruition ;  of  the  final  judgment,  and  eternal 
retribution.  It  was  the  Father  that  dwelt  in  Him 
that  spake  the  wondrous  words ;  and  Jesus  affirms 
unity  in  essence  and  operation  with  the  Supreme 
intelligence  of  heaven  and  earth. 

Some  have  compared  Jesus  with  Socrates,  who 
lived  four  centuries  before  Him.  We  admire  the 
heathen  sage  whose  vision  compassed  a  wide  do- 
main of  truth.  But  for  much  he  learned,  he  was 
indebted  to  that  innate  moral  consciousness  which 
never  quite  departs  from  man;  to  the  traditions 
which  came  to  him  from  the  old  Hebrew  Church ; 
and  to  the  influence  of  the  yet  to  be  incarnate 
Truth,  whose  coming  was  consciously  needed  and 
even  intimated  by  such  exceptional  men  as  himself, 
and  Plato,  and  Zeno.     Yet  what  these  intellectual 


88  Christ's   Valedictory 

giants  discovered  were  only  fragments  of  a  few  truths 
which  Jesus  knew  perfectly  and  from  the  beginning. 
It  is  true  that  Socrates  taught  the  immortality  of 
the  soul ;  but  he  also  denied  it.  He  said  that  to 
be  virtuous,  men  needed  the  aid  of  the  great  Su- 
preme; but  he  trusted  in  false  deities.  His  dis- 
ciples said  he  convinced  them  by  powerful  argu- 
ments one  day,  and  plunged  them  into  unbelief 
the  next.  But  Jesus  spake  with  authority.  At  His 
coming  the  darkness  fled.  There  was  a  beauty, 
fullness,  and  grandeur  in  His  teachings,  that  sepa- 
rated Him  by  an  infinite  chasm  from  the  noted 
men  of  Athens  and  Rome.  He  compassed  the 
whole  range  of  needful  knowledge;  and  hence, 
though  nearly  two  thousand  years  have  passed  since 
He  taught,  not  one  important  addition  has  been 
made  to  the  system  of  truth  which  He  gave  us. 
He  stands  at  the  end  of  the  old  dispensation,  like 
some  great  promontory,  and  there  is  no  beyond : 
or  Hke  the  sun  at  noon,  and  the  light  cannot  be 
augmented.  Well  did  He  say,  on  one  occasion 
when  He  came  to  the  temple  as  the  morning  sun 
gilded  the  hills  of  Judea  and  was  reflected  from  the 
white  domes  of  Jerusalem,  ''I  am  the  light  of  the 
world."  And  as  we  look  upon  Him,  across  the 
ages  that  lie  between,  we  may  well  uncover  our 
heads,  while  our  hearts  leap  with  gladness  at  the 
very  mention  of  His  name;  saying,  as  did  the 
great  Napoleon,  '*I  know  men,  and  I  tell  you  that 
Jesus  is  not  a  man." 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     89 

6.  The  History  of  the  Gospel  proves  the  di- 
vinity of  Christ. 

The  Religion  of  Jesus  originated  with  its  neces- 
sity. It  is  nearly  six  thousand  years  old.  Its  first 
utterance  was  a  promise  which  relieved  the  dark- 
ness of  the  fall.  It  appeared  in  the  first  sacrifice, 
offered  just  outside  the  gate  of  Paradise  lost.  It 
antedated  all  false  religions.  It  has  outlived  human 
systems  of  faith  that  were  environed  with  pomp  and 
supported  by  power.  It  has  survived  the  religions 
of  ancient  Egypt,  Greece  and  Rome,  whose  temples 
are  in  ruins,  and  their  sacred  groves  deserted ;  and 
to-day  it  is  as  the  sun  when  he  goeth  forth  in  his 
might. 

Its  triumphs  since  our  Lord's  return  to  the  Father, 
confirm  our  faith.  To  His  disciples  their  Master 
said,  ''  Greater  works  than  these  shall  ye  do,  be- 
cause I  go  unto  the  Father."  When,  a  little  later, 
illiterate  fishermen  preached  Jesus  and  the  resur- 
rection, Pharisees  and  priests  laughed  them  to 
scorn.  Though  for  a  time  misrepresented,  and 
proscribed ;  though  running  counter  to  all  the  sin- 
ful propensities  of  men,  glorying  only  in  the  cross 
on  which  a  reputed  malefactor  died ;  the  truth 
triumphed  over  error,  and  spread  abroad  through 
all  the  known  world.  The  poor  received  the  word 
with  gladness.  Members  of  Caesar's  household  be- 
lieved. Senators  and  knights  confessed  Christ. 
The  highest  order  of  talent  was  consecrated  to 
the  once  despised  faith.     Justin  Martyr,  Irenseus, 


90  Christ's   Valedictory 

Clement,  Tertullian,  Cyprian,  embraced  and  advo- 
cated Christianity.  The  history  of  the  first  cen- 
turies, whether  written  by  an  Origen  or  a  Phny,  a 
Eusebius  or  a  Tacitus,  a  TertuUian  or  a  Gibbon, 
a  friend  or  a  foe ;  is  a  record  of  triumphs.  The 
Parthenon  and  the  Pantheon  gave  way  to  the  Chris- 
tian temple,  and  the  "gods  many"  laid  aside  their 
dumb  sceptres  that  Jesus  might  be  exalted  and 
crowned. 

To-day  the  Christian  Sanctuary  is  reared  beside 
the  Pagoda,  hard  by  the  temple  of  Brahm,  and  in 
the  shadow  of  the  Islam  mosque.  Jesus  is  honored 
by  multitudes  in  Europe,  both  crowned  heads  and 
peasants.  He  has  followers  in  Africa,  along  the 
Nile,  on  both  sides  the  equator,  and  down  by 
the  Southern  pole ;  in  Greenland,  in  Labrador,  in 
Brazil,  and  on  the  isles  of  sea ;  as  well  as  in  our 
own  country  and  in  Great  Britain,  on  whose  pos- 
sessions the  sun  never  sets.  Does  this  furnish  no 
argument  for  Christ's  divinity  ?  Shall  we  compare 
Confucius  with  Jesus,  or  liken  Mahomet  to  the  Son 
of  God  ?  Christ  is  one  with  the  Father ;  hence,  in 
speaking  of  the  mighty  things  He  wrought,  He 
said,  ''  He  doeth  the  works." 

Then  witness  the  fruits  of  Christianity  in  indi- 
vidual lives.  It  has  delivered  from  guilt,  released 
from  bondage,  and  cleansed  from  the  defilement 
of  sin.  It  has  brought  quietness,  holiness,  and 
earnests  of  heaven.  It  has  broadened  the  horizon 
of  thought,  enlarged  human  being,  lifted  believers 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     91 

above  the  visible  worlds,  and  caused  them  to  dwell 
in  the  presence  of  the  glorified  Christ.  It  has  sus- 
tained in  affliction,  supported  in  weakness,  and 
comforted  in  death.  It  has  made  men  more  manly. 
It  has  imparted  to  them  a  sense  of  harmony  with 
great  possibilities,  the  true  end  of  their  creation, 
and  their  quenchless  immortality. 

7.  The  Scriptural  argument  for  the  Divinity  of 
Christ  is  conclusive. 

Note  the  titles  which  are  given  to  Christ  in  the 
Bible ; — He  is  called  God,  Jehovah,  God's  beloved 
Son ;  the  perfections  which  are  ascribed  to  Him, 
such  as  Eternity,  Omniscence,  Omnipresence ;  the 
works  He  performed, — He  made  the  worlds,  con- 
trolled the  elements  of  nature,  cured  incurable  dis- 
eases, raised  the  dead ;  the  worship  He  received, 
— the  early  Christians  rendering  Him  the  homage 
due  to  God  alone,  and  visitors  from  heaven,  as  on 
the  Mount,  doing  Him  reverence;  the  fulfillment 
of  prophecy  which  foretold  His  coming,  the  time 
and  place  and  circumstance  of  His  birth,  the  fruits 
of  His  life,  and  the  manner  of  His  death — all  these 
proclaim  Him  divine. 

Then  we  have  statements  in  the  Scripture  apply- 
ing to  Christ  only,  such  as  these;  "  The  word  was 
God."  *<God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  <'God 
with  us."  ''Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  of  all." 
"Christ  is  over  all."  "God  blessed  forever." 
Jesus  says — "I  and  the  Father  are  one."  "He 
that  hath  seen  Me  hath  seen  the  Father."     "  I  am 


92  Christ's    Valedictory 

Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  the  ending, 
which  is  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to  come, 
The  Almighty,"  ''  Before  Abraham  was  I  am." 

Thus  the  Godhead  of  Christ  is  established.  In 
substance,  in  power  and  glory ;  in  all  the  incom- 
municable attributes  of  divinity ;  He  is  one  with 
the  Father.  At  the  same  time  He  announced  His 
independent  subsistence.  Everything  that  consti- 
tuted individuality  of  person  belonged  to  Him. 
Hence  He  said,  ''I  lay  down  My  life  and  I  take  it 
again."  His  personal  endurance  of  death,  and 
His  victory  over  it,  proclaimed  Him  God,  attested 
His  claim  to  the  Messiahship,  and  enthroned  Him 
in  eternal  glory. 

Evidently  Jesus  is  at  an  infinite  remove  from  the 
divinities  of  philosophy  and  the  gods  of  paganism. 
The  latter  were  only  deified  men.  They  originally 
belonged  to  our  race,  and  carried  the  attributes  of 
humanity  into  their  ideal  state.  Each  was  limited 
as  to  his  sphere  of  activity  and  manifestation  of 
power.  One  presided  over  the  mountains,  another 
over  the  plains ;  one  over  the  rivers,  another  over 
the  far-reaching  yet  shore-bounded  seas.  One  was 
god  of  war  and  another  of  peace.  But  Christ  is 
God  over  all.  His  dominion  is  wide  as  the  uni- 
verse. His  presence  fills  the  measureless  space. 
His  life  kindles  suns.  His  hand  moves  the 
worlds.  The  order  of  material  systems  is  the  ex- 
pression of  His  all-controlling  power.  The  lofty 
intelligences  before  the  throne  were  born  of  His 


Christ's  Oneness  with  the  Father     93 

creative  energy,  and  are  supported  by  His  omnipo- 
tence. Hence,  they  worship  Him,  and  are  ever 
attentive  to  His  behests.  Even  Gabriel  is  His 
wiUing  servant,  never  questioning  His  absolute 
authority,  nor  inquired  the  reason  for  His  com- 
mand. 

We  sinners  have,  in  Christ,  an  Almighty  Saviour. 
We  can  ask  nothing  more ;  we  can  be  satisfied  with 
nothing  less.  We  commit  our  souls  to  Him  with  a 
confidence  that  should  never  waver.  Though  we 
are  least  of  all  saints,  each  of  us  may  say  with  the 
Apostle  Paul;  **I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed 
and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  I  have  committed  unto  Him  against  that 
day;  "  patiently  waiting  the  summons  to  the  home 
above,  and  to  the  rest  which  is  complete,  secure, 
and  eternal. 


GREATER  WORKS  THAN  CHRIST'S 


Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth  on  Me, 
the  works  that  I  do  shall  he  do  also  ;  and  greater  works  than 
these  shall  he  do  ;  because  I  go  unto  My  Father. 

— John  xiv.  12. 

Christianity  arose  in  the  mystic  depths  of  man''s  soul,  and 
was  spread  abroad  by  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  by  simple 
and  altogether  natural  and  individual  efforts,  and  few  like 
hallowed  f  re  from  heart  to  heart  till  all  were  purifed  and 
illuminated  by  it,  and  its  heavenly  light  shone,  as  it  still 
shines,  and  as  sun  or  star  will  ever  shine,  through  the  whole 
dark  destinies  of  man. — Thomas  Carlyle. 


VI 
GREATER  WORKS  THAN  CHRIST'S 

Christ  wrought  miracles.  This  is  an  historical 
fact  which  some  have  disputed  but  no  one  has  dis- 
proved. It  is  as  certain  that  He  performed  super- 
natural works  as  that  Caesar  invaded  Gaul,  or  that 
Napoleon  crossed  the  Alps.  To  deny  miracles  is 
to  dethrone  God  and  deify  natural  law.  The 
maker  of  natural  law  is  superior  to  it,  and  can  set 
it  aside  at  pleasure.  This  Jesus  did,  and  He  cites 
His  miracles  as  evidences  of  His  Messiahship. 
Since  He  was  very  God,  robed  for  our  sakes  in 
human  form,  He  would  have  us  believe  on  Him 
that  we  may  be  enthroned  with  Him. 

I.  For  the  comforting  of  His  disciples.  He 
makes  the  remarkable  statement  that  they  should 
do  the  works  He  had  done.  Thus  far  they 
had  not  been  honored  with  this  distinction,  and 
had  never  expected  it.  Hence,  no  doubt,  for  a 
moment,  they  were  startled  by  the  announcement, 
and  unable  to  receive  it.  This  power  was  given 
for  a  season  only.  Christ  Himself  did  not  resort 
to  miracles  except  in  great  emergencies.  He  did 
this  in  view  of  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews.  One  of 
the  great  proofs  of  His  Messiahship,  was  found  in 
97 


98  Christ's    Valedictory 

His  exercise  of  divine  power,  beholding  which, 
many  believed  on  Him.  So,  too,  in  the  establish- 
ment of  His  spiritual  kingdom,  with  all  the  in- 
fluence of  Hebrew  scholarship,  the  deeply  rooted 
prejudices  of  prevailing  religions,  the  splendor  of 
old  philosophies  and  the  power  of  thrones  arrayed 
against  the  truth,  it  was  necessary  that  the  Church 
should  make  good  its  claim  to  divine  origin  and  its 
spiritual  relations  to  the  source  of  all  intelligence 
and  power. 

Miracles  furnished  to  ordinary  minds  the  most 
convincing  support  of  this  seemingly  arrogant  as- 
sumption. Hence  the  apostles  were  empowered  to 
do  Christ's  works.  They  healed  the  sick,  made 
the  lame  to  walk,  cast  out  devils,  and  raised  the 
dead.  The  world  accepted  this  proof  of  revealed 
religion.  This  being  accomplished,  and  recorded 
as  a  fully  accredited  fact  of  history,  the  exercise  of 
miraculous  power  ceased  with  the  apostles.  The 
reputed  miracles  of  Rome,  and  of  exceptional 
portions  of  the  Protestant  Church,  in  our  day, 
evidently  do  violence  to  that  promise  of  supernatu- 
ral works  which  was  limited  to  a  special  need  and 
a  brief  period. 

2.  But  Christ's  promise  to  the  believer  went 
stiA  further.  He  added  this  significant  statement ; 
"And  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do  be- 
cause I  go  to  the  Father."  This  also,  at  first  view, 
seemed  incredible.  Moreover,  it  was  an  exaltation 
of  the  believer  which  appeared  to  dishonor  Christ. 


Greater  Works  than  Christ's        99 

Shall  any  finite  creature,  do  greater  works  than 
the  Son  of  God  ?  The  mystery  is  relieved  by  a 
very  simple  interpretation.  The  greater  works, 
and  the  less,  were  wrought  in  the  power  of  Christ. 
The  apostles  were  instruments  only.  When  Peter 
and  John,  beholding  the  lame  man  at  the  Beautiful 
Gate,  gave  him  power  to  walk,  they  were  careful  to 
refer  the  miracle  to  a  superhuman  source.  *'  Be  it 
known  unto  you  all,  and  to  all  the  people  of  Israel, 
that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  whom 
ye  crucified,  whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  even 
by  Him  doth  this  man  stand  here  before  you 
whole." 

Here  the  question  arises,  What  were  the  greater 
works  that  were  wrought  in  Christ's  name?  Dif- 
ferent answers  are  given,  the  true  one  may  readily 
be  found. 

(a)  Negatively:  It  was  not  meant  that  the 
apostles  should  perform  greater  physical  miracles 
than  Christ.  To  attempt  any  such  discrimination 
in  favor  of  the  works  of  the  disciples,  would  be  a 
weakness  on  our  part,  and  an  offence  to  our  Lord. 
Some  old  writers  interpreted  the  promise  as  refer- 
ring exclusively  to  miraculous  acts,  and  then  en- 
deavor to  sustain  the  promise  by  comparing  the 
works.  They  remind  us  that  the  shadow  of  Peter 
passing  by  healed  those  on  whom  it  fell,  and  that  a 
handkerchief  which  Paul  had  touched  carried  with 
it  like  efficacy.  Herein  they  found  the  proof  of 
greater  power.    The  miracles  wrought  by  the  apos- 


100  Christ's    Valedictory 

ties  we  do  not  dispute,  but  the  comparison  is  un- 
warranted. Christ  performed  greater  miracles  than 
His  disciples. 

Take  a  single  example  :  His  resurrection  is  at- 
tributed to  an  inherent  power.  He  Himself  said 
that  if  the  temple  of  His  body  were  destroyed  He 
would  raise  it  on  the  third  day.  This  He  did,  for 
He  rose  in  the  exercise  of  His  own  will.  This  was 
a  greater  miracle  than  the  raising  of  Lazarus. 
Where,  in  all  history,  did  any  one  else  ever  awake 
himself  out  of  the  sleep  of  death?  This  was  the 
crowning  miracle  of  Christ.  In  the  class  to  which 
it  belongs,  there  can  be  no  parallel.  As  Mount 
Blanc  of  the  Old  World  rises  far  above  the  lower 
peaks,  so  Christ's  resurrection,  by  His  own  power, 
transcends  all  other  miracles. 

(b)  Affirmatively :  The  promise  that  the  apos- 
tles should  do  greater  works  than  Christ  had 
wrought,  refers  to  spiritual  results,  not  to  physical 
miracles.  The  work  which  imparts  spiritual  life  is 
above  that  which  raises  the  physically  dead.  It  is 
as  much  greater  as  the  soul  is  more  valuable  than 
its  earthly  tenement.  The  conversion  of  Matthew 
was  a  greater  miracle  than  the  stilling  of  the  tem- 
pest, the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  or  the  raising 
of  the  widow's  son  of  Nain. 

Now  observe  that  the  apostles  were  more  success- 
ful preachers  of  the  Word  than  was  Christ.  Dur- 
ing the  three  years  of  our  Saviour's  ministry  five 
hundred  were  converted ;  under  the  preaching  of 


Greater  Works  than  Christ's      101 

a  single  sermon  by  Peter,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
three  thousand  were  born  again.  If  numbers  a^e 
to  be  the  determining  factor  in  this  comparison, 
then  the  servant's  work  was  greater  than  his  Lord's, 
Moreover,  the  immediate  results  of  the  Pentecostal 
sermon  represented  only  a  small  segment  of  the 
territory  conquered  for  Christ  by  His  apostles. 

The  greatest  miracle  of  the  ages  was  the  spread 
of  Christianity  during  the  closing  years  of  the  first 
century.  No  ermine  clothed  it.  No  orators 
pleaded  its  cause.  No  imperial  shield  protected  it. 
No  armies  hewed  for  it  a  way  to  success.  Yet  the 
gospel  was  carried  into  all  the  great  cities  of  Asia 
Minor;  to  classic  Athens,  clustering  its  homes 
around  the  Acropolis ;  to  proud  Corinth,  on  the 
shore  of  the  ^gean;  to  Rome,  with  its  idolatry 
and  crimes ;  and  to  the  vessels  which  traversed  the 
Mediterranean.  Paul  preached  Christ  in  Palestine, 
in  lUyricum,  and  in  all  the  regions  lying  between ; 
and  the  multitude  of  believers  extended  in  continu- 
ous line  all  the  way  from  the  scenes  of  Christ's 
crucifixion  to  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  which 
marked  the  extremities  of  the  known  earth. 
Christ  sowed  the  seed  and  the  apostles  reaped  the 
harvest.  He  laid  the  foundations  of  the  Church, 
deep  and  broad,  and  they  reared  the  superstruc- 
ture. Their  work  has  been  the  wonder  of  all  the 
centuries  coming  after.  The  paucity  of  conver- 
sions under  Christ's  ministry,  as  compared  with 
the  number  under  the  preaching  of  Peter  and  the 


102  Christ's   Valedictory 

greater  ministry  of  Paul,  finds  its  interpretation  in 
the  several  dispensations  of  the  Godhead  which  as- 
signed the  atonement  to  Christ,  and  conversion  to 
the  Holy  Spirit. 

To  make  a  satisfaction  for  sin,  adequate  and 
eternal;  a  result  that  made  possible  the  salvation 
of  the  race ;  that  provided  for  the  application  of 
redemption  to  men ;  that  defied  the  powers  of 
darkness  and  conquered  death  and  hell;  a  work 
for  which  the  world  was  being  prepared  through 
the  long  period  of  four  thousand  years ;  priests, 
altars  and  sacrifices  directing  attention  to  the  cross, 
and  prophets  unfolding  the  plan  of  redemption 
with  a  definiteness  which  continually  advanced — 
all  this  was  a  work  which  will  be  the  admiration  of 
heaven  and  the  joy  of  earth  forever.  It  prepared 
the  way  for  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through 
the  agency  of  the  church  formed  under  the  min- 
istry of  Christ,  the  fruits  of  which  shall  shake  like 
Lebanon,  and  prolong  the  name  of  Jesus  long  as 
the  sun. 

2.  Christ  indicates  the  condition  on  which  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  given  to  the  Church.  "  Because  I 
go  unto  the  Father."  It  was  ordered,  in  the 
scheme  of  redemption,  that  Christ,  having  com- 
pleted His  earthly  mission,  should  return  to  the 
world  whence  He  came.  This  was  required  by 
the  functions  of  His  office  as  Priest.  Having  made 
a  sufficient  sacrifice  for  sin.  He  must  present  the 
evidence  of  it  in  the  Holy  Place  on  high. 


Greater  Works  than  Christ's      103 

This  necessity  had  been  set  forth  in  the  custom 
of  the  day  of  atonement,  when  the  offering  of  the 
typical  sacrifice  was  followed  by  the  impressive 
ceremony  of  carrying  the  blood  of  the  victim  into 
the  most  sacred  precinct  of  the  tabernacle,  and 
subsequently  of  the  temple,  behind  the  veil,  where, 
hidden  from  the  view  of  all  Israel,  the  priest  pre- 
sented the  same  to  God,  and  made  intercession  for 
the  people.  When  the  day  was  near  its  close. 
Mount  Olivet  holding  the  last  rays  of  the  setting 
sun,  the  reappearing  of  the  priest  was  the  signal  for 
rejoicing.  The  hills  around  Jerusalem  echoed  the 
sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  a  forgiven  people  wept 
for  gladness.  A  few  hours  later,  a  holy  peaceful- 
ness  prevailed  throughout  the  Holy  City,  and  one 
devout  Israelite  might  have  been  heard  saying  to 
another:   "Behold  Jerusalem,  a  quiet  habitation." 

The  Holy  Spirit's  work  was  delayed  until  both 
the  sacrifice  for  sin  had  been  made,  and  our  Lord 
had  ascended.  Soon  the  cross  passes  into  history, 
and  Jesus  refers  to  His  early  compliance  with  the 
remaining  requirement  of  the  ancient  covenant : 
"Because  I  go  unto  My  Father."  The  time  ap- 
pointed for  His  departure  having  arrived,  He  left 
His  disciples,  and  went  within  the  veil.  Then  the 
Holy  Spirit,  "another  Comforter"  came,  in  virtue 
of  the  accomplished  atonement,  and  its  acceptance 
in  heaven.  Now  we  recall  the  words  of  Jesus  :  "  It 
is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away,"  and  the  in- 
terpretation comes  to  us  borne  on  the  atmosphere 


104  Christ's    Valedictory 

which  the  Holy  Spirit  has  brought  with  Him  from 
the  world  we  hope  soon  to  enter. 

It  was  ten  days  after  Christ's  departure  that  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  bestowed,  and  Pente- 
cost rose  above  the  level  of  ordinary  days,  radiant 
with  celestial  light,  while  apostles,  speaking  with 
other  tongues,  went  forth  to  conquer  the  world  for 
Christ,  and,  as  respects  the  ministry  of  the  Word, 
to  do  the  "greater  things"  Christ  had  promised. 
He  working  in  them  and  through  them  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  whom  He  had  sent. 

3.  The  condition  on  which  we  receive  power 
from  God.  It  is  simply,  and  always,  and  for 
every  one ;  the  faith  which  works  by  love.  The 
solemn  asseveration  of  Jesus  shall  stand  until  His 
second  coming:  ''Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 
He  that  belie veth  on  Me,  the  works  that  I  do  shall 
he  do  also ;  and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he 
do;  because  I  go  unto  My  Father."  An  impHcit 
faith  in  Christ  is  required ;  a  belief  in  His  God- 
head, in  His  atonement,  in  His  willingness  to  re- 
generate souls  through  our  instrumentality,  and 
secure  to  us  a  measure  of  fruitfulness  that  shall  en- 
rich both  earth  and  heaven.  Such  a  faith,  war- 
ranted by  the  word  and  character  of  Christ,  ex- 
plains the  marvellous  success  of  the  Apostolic  min- 
istry. 

A  like  faith  has  always  clothed  the  human  in- 
strument with  divine  power.  It  made  Luther's 
words  resonant,  and  mighty  as  the  Rhinefalls ;  made 


Greater  Works  than  Christ's      105 

John  Knox  a  peerless  preacher,  whom  Scotland 
heard  with  the  marrow  of  her  bones ;  made  White- 
field  the  seraphic  evangelist,  suggesting  the  angel 
of  the  Apocalypse  whom  the  Seer  of  Patmos  de- 
scribed ;  and  gave  to  Wesley  and  Summerfield  and 
Nettleton  and  Spurgeon  the  power  by  which  they 
removed  mountains,  that  Christ's  triumphal  car 
might  roll  gloriously  on. 

This  faith  expresses  itself  in  prayer,  transacting 
thus  with  the  source  of  power,  and  putting  on  the 
winsomeness,  spirituality,  and  divine  energy  by 
which  men  redeemed  by  blood  may  attract  lost 
souls  to  Christ  and  to  the  Kingdom  of  His  glory. 
The  Christians  in  any  Church  and  age  who  have 
been  mighty  with  God,  who  have  girdled  the  min- 
istry with  power,  who  have  won  souls  to  Christ  by 
the  beauty  of  their  example,  and  have  inspired 
with  faith  and  hope  and  holy  zeal  those  whose  lives 
they  touched ;  have  been  those  who  took  time  for 
prayer,  who  conquered  vacillating  moods,  resisted 
temptations  to  worldliness,  overcame  selfishness 
and  self-seeking  and  broke  the  power  of  all  sin  by 
habitual  communion  with  Christ  in  the  seclusion  of 
secret  devotion. 

If  we  would  do  great  things  for  Christ :  if  we 
would  bring  salvation  to  our  homes ;  divine  power 
to  the  Church;  and  a  regenerated  world  to  the 
Master's  feet ;  we,  as  divinely  appointed  workers 
together  with  Him,  must  renounce  our  foibles  our 
foUies,  and   our  easily-besetting   sins,  and  conse- 


106  Christ's    Valedictory 

crate  ourselves  wholly,  unreservedly  to  Christ,  who 
has  pledged  His  truth  to  help  us  do  greater  works 
than  His,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
given  unto  all  who  believe  in  Him  and  do  His 
commandments. 

Greater  works  are  yet  to  be  done  by  the  Church. 
Another  Pentecost  is  coming  on.  Neither  the  ma- 
terial nor  spiritual  world  are  yet  fully  exploited. 
There  are  forces  in  nature  yet  to  be  developed. 
There  are  inventive  triumphs  yet  to  be  achieved. 
There  are  secrets  still  locked  up  in  electricity  and 
magnetism,  light  and  heat,  winds  and  waves,  that 
shall  be  revealed,  and  the  wonders  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  will  be  excelled  in  the  centuries  to 
come.  We  are  only  on  the  margin  of  natural  dis- 
closures by  means  of  which  human  progress  shall 
advance  with  the  strides  of  the  fabled  Titans.  Out 
of  the  thoughts  of  ages  shall  suddenly  spring  greater 
thoughts  which  will  so  extend  the  curtains  of  our 
habitation  that  it  may  take  in  distant  worlds,  and 
entertain  the  inhabitants  of  other  spheres.  All  this 
is  material  progress.  It  has  to  do  with  only  the  life 
that  now  is.  Think  you  that  it  is  God's  purpose 
that  nature  shall  outrun  grace,  that  earthly  king- 
doms shall  leave  behind  them  the  reign  of  His  well- 
beloved  Son  ?  It  cannot  be.  All  else  is  scaffold- 
ing which  aids  the  erection  of  the  Temple  in  which 
the  Shekinah  shall  dwell. 

Miracles,  which  were  Christ's  credentials,  were 
also  exemplifications  of  spiritual  works  that  shall 


Greater  Works  than  Christ's      107 

surpass  all  natural  achievements.  The  disciples, 
the  Jewish  nation,  and  strangers  from  afar,  beheld 
with  wonder  the  opening  of  blind  eyes,  the  unstop- 
ping of  deaf  ears,  the  instantaneous  cleansing  of 
lepers,  and  the  raising  of  the  dead ;  the  like  of 
which  the  world  had  never  seen  before.  But  it  was 
permitted  to  the  disciples,  when  Christ  was  gone 
— a  privilege  extended  to  believers  through  all  the 
ages  following — to  do  greater  works  than  these  :  to 
open  the  eyes  of  the  understanding,  to  unstop  the 
deaf  ears  of  the  soul,  to  cleanse  the  morally  de- 
filed, to  raise  the  spiritually  dead.  The  fruits  of 
Christ's  miracles  were  temporary;  the  fruits  of 
spiritual  works  are  eternal.  The  one  brightened 
and  blessed  what  remained  of  a  short  earthly  life ; 
the  other  sets  lost  men  among  the  sons  of  God, 
robes  them  in  garments  of  immortality,  enthrones 
them  in  eternal  glory ;  greater  works  than  any 
physical  miracle  Christ  wrought  in  far  Galilee. 

Yet  after  all,  it  is  gratefully  admitted  that  these 
results  are  attained  only  in  the  power  of  Christ 
working  through  human  agency.  Christ  though 
gone,  lives  with  men.  He  continues  His  mission ; 
still  goes  in  at  the  Jericho  gate ;  carries  salvation 
to  Zacchseus'  home ;  and  preaches  in  the  temple, 
and  down  by  the  seaside,  where  the  music  of  waves 
is  the  accompaniment  of  the  precious  evangel.  He 
is  present  by  His  chosen  representatives.  And 
now,  that  we  may  be  stimulated  to  noble  endeavor 
in  His  name,  a  voice  addresses  us  from  heaven,  the 


108  Christ's    Valedictory 

same  once  heard  in  the  Upper  Chamber  in  Jeru- 
salem ;  a  voice  earnest,  affectionate  and  assuring ; 
reveahng  the  future  glorious  triumphs  of  the  truth ; 
every  knee  bowing  at  the  feet  of  Christ;  every 
tongue  confessing  Him  Lord  of  All;  this  sad, 
guilt-burdened,  sin-defiled  world  cleansed  and 
beautified,  and  singing  loud  hosannas  as  it  pur- 
sues its  circuit  through  the  heavens.  Listen  to  the 
word:  ** Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that 
believeth  on  Me,  the  works  I  did  he  shall  do  also ; 
and  greater  works  than  these  shall  he  do ;  because 
I  go  unto  My  Father." 

The  responsibility  of  results  is  with  us.  God 
waits  to  clothe  us  with  power  that  we  may  extend 
salvation  to  our  kindred  according  to  the  flesh ;  to 
the  community  we  touch ;  to  the  land  in  which  we 
dwell ;  to  the  world's  remotest  bounds.  Christian  ! 
The  age  is  solemn ;  opportunities  of  usefulness  are 
hastening  by;  souls  are  dying;  eternity  is  near. 
May  God  give  you  grace  to  fill  up  the  measure  of 
your  responsibility,  and  hasten  the  conversion  of 
the  world  to  Christ. 


PRAYER  AND  ITS  ANSWER 


And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name,  that  will  I  do, 
that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask 
anything  in  My  name  I  will  do  it. — John  xiv.  13,  14. 

As  man  within  his  sphere  can  use  these  fixed  laws  to  ac- 
complish the  most  diversified  purposes,  so  God  in  His  unlimited 
sphere  has  them  always  and  everywhere  under  His  absolute 
control,  so  that,  without  suspending  or  violating  them,  they 
are  ever  subservient  to  His  will.  If  the  fact  that  men  can 
use  the  laws  of  nature  to  their  own  ends  and  advantages  is 
compatible  with  the  tmiformity  of  those  laws,  the  control  of 
God  over  them  for  the  accomplishment  of  His  purposes  can- 
not be  inconsistent  with  their  stability  as  laws. — Dr.  C. 
Hodge. 


VII 

PRAYER  AND  ITS  ANSWER 

Prayer  is  the  offering  up  of  our  desires  to  God 
for  things  agreeable  to  His  will.  It  includes  also 
confession  of  sin,  and  a  thankful  acknowledgment 
of  God's  mercies.  It  is  addressed  to  God,  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  and  is  inspired  by  the.  Holy  Spirit. 
Yet  since  God  is  one,  it  may  be  addressed  to  any 
person  of  the  Holy  Trinity ;  involving,  nevertheless, 
a  recognition  of  Christ's  mediatorial  character, 
and  our  own  dependence  for  guidance  and  efficiency 
on  the  Spirit.  ''No  man  cometh  unto  the  Father 
but  by  Me. ' '  And  the  apostle  reminds  us  that  we 
have  access  to  the  throne  of  grace  by  the  Spirit 
alone,  all  spiritual  acts  being  inspired  by  Him. 
He  imparts  that  faith  which  prevails,  and  the  unc- 
tion which  makes  prayer  acceptable,  a  fragrant 
censer  in  the  temple  of  divine  worship. 

Let  it  also  be  noted  that  each  person  in  the  God- 
head, hears  the  petitions  offered  in  the  name  of 
Christ.  Hence  our  Lord  said,  "Whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  in  My  name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the 
Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son."  Prayer  is  an 
act  of  obedience.  We  are  instructed  to  call  upon 
God,  to  make  our  requests,  and  to  bring  our  tribute 
111 


112  Christ's    Valedictory 

of  adoration,  thanksgiving  and  praise  to  Him.  It 
is  a  condition  on  which  the  bestowment  of  all  good 
is  contingent.  ''Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you." 
'*  I  will  be  inquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel,  to 
do  these  things  unto  them. "  ' '  Whosoever  shall  call 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved."  It  is 
also  a  means  of  cultivating  humility ;  a  sense  of 
dependence  on  God,  love,  gratitude  and  faith ;  and 
of  assimilating  us  to  the  divine  character  which  is 
the  object  of  our  contemplation. 

The  subjects  of  prayer  are  temporal  and  spiritual 
blessings.  For  the  first,  beyond  the  limits  of  ne- 
cessity, we  ask  conditionally.  The  prayer  of  faith 
should  not  falter  within  the  range  of  imperative 
need;  though  God's  interpretation  of  need  may 
differ  from  ours.  He  who  clothes  the  grass  of  the 
field  and  the  lilies  in  their  beauty ;  who  gives  to 
the  beast  his  food,  and  to  the  young  ravens  when 
they  cry ;  will  reward  the  trustful  faith  of  the  dili- 
gent with  temporal  good.  It  is  our  privilege,  when 
there  may  be  but  a  handful  of  meal  in  the  barrel 
and  the  cruise  of  oil  is  well-nigh  exhausted,  to  take 
our  need  to  God  in  prayer.  He  will  send  Elijah, 
or  bless  abundantly  the  labor  of  our  hands. 

It  is  well  to  carry  all  our  wants  to  God.  To  tell 
Him  our  little  daily,  vexing  cares;  asking  grace 
to  bear  them,  and  wisdom  to  guide,  and  every  re- 
quired help  in  Christian  service,  whether  it  be  high 
or  low.  God  is  well  pleased  when  we  do  this. 
Then,  too,  we  may  bring  our  sicknesses  to  Him.    He 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  113 

may  act  directly  upon  our  physical  disorders,  as 
when  moral  agencies  are  required ;  yet  in  accord- 
ance with  His  well-established  laws.  Or  He  may 
work  through  intermediate  agencies,  and  bless  the 
means  employed.  We  need  more  of  that  faith 
which  looks  first  of  all  to  the  Divine  physician  and 
then  uses  appropriate  means,  in  dependence  on  God. 

The  words  of  Christ,  ''Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask 
in  My  name,"  may  have  specific  reference  to  His 
spiritual  kingdom,  but  the  underlying  principle  ex- 
tends to  all  temporal  good  which  is  needful  for  us, 
and  consistent  with  the  will  of  God  to  give.  We 
have  reason  to  be  thankful  that  some  of  our  re- 
quests have  been  denied. 

Then,  secondly,  we  pray  for  spiritual  blessings. 
This  we  may  do  unconditionally,  since  God  has 
assured  us  that  it  is  always  agreeable  to  His  will  to 
bestow  these.  We  ask  Him  for  pardon,  peace, 
purity,  hope,  patience,  and  every  grace;  and 
''every  one  that  asketh  receiveth."  Faith  is  ever 
drawing  from  Christ's  fullness.  True  prayer  opens 
wide  its  mouth  and  God  fills  it.  With  reference 
especially  to  spiritual  good,  we  are  exhorted  to 
"pray  without  ceasing." 

This  brings  us  to  the  consideration  of  the  efficacy 
of  prayer.  Some  have  raised  the  question.  Has  it 
any  power  with  God  ?  Does  it  secure  whatsoever 
we  need  ?  There  is  a  great  deal  of  scepticism  on 
the  subject,  where  ground  for  scepticism  does  not 
exist. 


114  Christ's    Valedictory 

I .  Our  first  argument  is  from  express  statements 
of  the  Scriptures.  Faith  accepts  this  as  conclu- 
sive. We  may  not  be  able  to  answer  philosophical 
objections,  or  infidel  sophistry.  Owen  or  Tyndal 
may  confuse  the  simple-minded  with  scientific  facts 
which  seem  to  militate  against  a  Scriptural  faith  in 
prayer ;  but  the  religious  instinct  which  leads  the 
unlearned  soul  to  the  throne  of  grace,  is  accom- 
panied with  a  confidence  which  another's  doubt 
does  not  obscure,  and  another's  denial  does  not  de- 
stroy. 

Jesus  declares  the  efficacy  of  prayer.  "If  ye 
shall  ask  anything  in  My  name,  I  will  do  it."  His 
word  is  truth.  His  promise  standeth  sure.  The 
Christian  might  as  well  question  the  testimony  of 
personal  consciousness,  as  doubt  the  power  of 
prayer  which  Christ  here  affirms.  But  take  other 
passages  of  Scripture  which  relate  to  this  subject. 
They  are  scattered  through  the  Word  as  are  the 
stars  on  the  concave  of  the  night.  ''If  thou  shalt 
seek  the  Lord  thy  God,  thou  shalt  find  Him,  if  thou 
seek  Him  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul." 
"  Call  upon  Me  in  the  day  of  trouble;  I  will  de- 
liver thee,  and  thou  shalt  glorify  Me."  "I  said 
not  unto  the  seed  of  Jacob,  seek  ye  Me  in  vain." 
"  Ye  shall  go  and  pray  unto  Me,  and  I  will  hearken 
unto  you."  "Call  unto  Me,  and  I  will  answer 
thee,  and  show  thee  great  and  mighty  things,  which 
thou  knowest  not."  "Ask  and  it  shall  be  given 
you ;  seek  and  ye  shall  find ;  knock  and  it  shall 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  115 

be  opened  unto  you."  '^f  ye  abide  in  Me  and 
My  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will 
and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you."  ''If  we  ask  any- 
thing according  to  His  will  He  heareth  us." 
"The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call  upon 
Him  in  truth."  Passages  of  similar  import  might 
be  greatly  multiplied.  These  are  quite  sufficient 
to  establish  the  prevalency  of  prayer.  Even  one 
express  statement  from  God  should  inspire  unwa- 
vering confidence,  and  encourage  the  submissive 
expression  of  every  want. 

2.     The  History  of  Prayer  declares  its  power. 
God's  Word  has  been  verified  in  human  experience 
in  every  age.     Praying  breath  has  never  been  spent 
in  vain.     We  have  the  testimony  of  Bible  saints 
from  the  Church's  grey  dawn  until  now.     God's 
ear  has  ever  been  attentive  to  the  cry  of  His  peo- 
ple ;  to  that  of  the  humblest  saint,  as  well  as  to 
"  Moses  and  Aaron  among  His  priests,  and  Samuel 
among  them  that  call  upon  His  name. ' '     Prayer  has 
opened  the  heavens  in  time  of   drought;    it  has 
closed  them  while  the  seasons  repeated  their  rounds. 
It  has  cured  physical  disorders,  has  terminated  the 
pestilence  and  plague,  has  repelled  the  enemy  that 
thundered  at  the  gates,  has  dethroned  unrighteous 
kings,  has  opened  highways  through  great  waters 
that  the  ransomed  of  the  Lord  might  pass  through. 
You  recall  the  case  of  Miriam  who  spoke  against 
the  Lord's  anointed,  and  became  leprous,  white  as 
snow.     Then  Moses  prayed  God  to  heal  her,  and 


116  Christ's    Valedictory 

she  was  instantly  healed.  Joshua  prayed  when 
Israel  had  been  defeated  at  Ai,  humbly  confessing 
his  own  and  the  people's  sin.  And  then  when  the 
tide  of  battle  turned,  but  victory  was  incomplete, 
the  slanting  rays  of  evening  about  to  be  succeeded 
by  night,  and  the  loss  of  every  advantage  gained 
seemed  at  hand,  he  prayed  the  God  of  heaven  to 
show  His  power  over  the  worlds  He  had  made. 
Then  the  sun  stood  still  upon  Gibeon,  and  the 
moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  so  the  battle  went 
on,  and  Israel  returned  waving  the  banners  of  glo- 
rious triumph.  Elijah  bowed  among  the  oaks  on 
Carmel,  when  the  priests  of  Baal  defied  the  God  of 
Israel;  then  fire  descended  from  heaven,  kindled 
the  sacrifice  faith  had  offered,  and  extorted  from 
the  lips  of  enemies  the  confession,  ''The  Lord  He 
is  God."  The  pious  Esther  prayed,  and  her 
maidens  with  her,  when  overwhelming  disaster 
threatened  her  people.  Then  God  hearkened  and 
heard,  and  delivered  them  out  of  all  their  dis- 
tresses. 

So  we  might  go  on,  citing  instances  of  an- 
swered prayers  until  the  day  were  ended  or  the 
volume  filled.  We  might  summon  a  long  line  of 
the  faithful  to  give  their  testimony,  and  they  would 
join  in  the  thankful  chorus,  saying,  ''We  cried 
unto  the  Lord  with  our  voice,  and  He  heard  us  out 
of  His  holy  hill."  The  royal  petitioner  says,  "In 
my  distress  I  cried  unto  the  Lord  and  He  heard 
me."     "This  poor  man  cried  and  the  Lord  heard 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  HT 

him,  and  saved  him  out  of  all  his  troubles."  Jere- 
miah, who  was  wont  to  dwell  on  the  borders  of  a 
night-land  and  commune  with  sorrow,  now  and 
again  turned  his  face,  from  which  the  tears  had  de- 
parted, toward  heaven,  and  gratefully  exclaimed, 
*'  Thou  drawedst  near  in  the  day  that  I  called  upon 
Thee;  Thou  saidst  fear  not." 

Then  Christ's  immediate  disciples,  after  He  was 
gone,  tell  how  they  tarried  in  Jerusalem,  and 
Pentecost  came  with  power;  how  prayer  opened 
prison  doors  for  them,  and  their  chains  dropped 
off;  how  humble  pleadings  with  God  mingled  with 
the  roar  of  breakers,  and  heaven  came  down  to  the 
lone  ^gian  isle  and  left  its  radiance  in  the  wake 
of  departing  years. 

Then  we  might  follow  along  the  centuries  until 
now,  and  tell  of  Jerome  in  his  cell,  and  Luther  at 
Wartburg,  and  Knox  in  the  garden,  and  Whitfield 
in  the  curtained  chamber,  and  Brainard  among 
-the  pines ;  all  of  whom  directed  their  prayers  unto 
God,  looked  up,  and  prevailed.  Or  we  might 
speak  of  great  revivals  that  came  in  answer  to 
united  prayer  to  the  Old  World  and  lingered  in 
the  New ;  of  a  conquering  faith  which  carried  the 
gospel  from  sea  to  sea,  and  to  the  far-off  isles,  re- 
ceiving its  inspiration  and  support  in  secret  places, 
at  home  altars,  and  in  simple  sanctuaries  in  the 
shade  of  the  continuous  woods ;  of  great  national 
evils  removed  ;  passions  hushed  ;  wrongs  righted  ; 
oppression   terminated;  harvests  matured,  locusts 


118  Christ's    Valedictory 

expelled ;  and  numberless  blessings,  secured  by 
prayer; — earth  appealing  to  heaven,  and  weakness 
to  everlasting  strength. 

3.  The  Christendom  of  to-day  bears  testimony 
to  the  power  of  prayer.  We  have  but  to  look 
around,  to  learn  the  connection  of  all  spiritual  good 
with  the  devotion  of  consecrated  hearts,  and  of  the 
highest  forms  of  human  progress  with  a  trustful 
faith. 

Prayer,  sincere  and  believing,  joined  with  per- 
severing labor,  has  made  England  and  America 
what  they  are,  and  stretched  a  belt  of  light  around 
the  globe.  Paganism  mumbles  stereot^-ped  peti- 
tions and  worships  it  knows  not  what ;  but  Pagan- 
ism never  prays.  Paganism  is  wretchedness,  hope- 
lessness, unsatisfied  and  ever-conscious  want.  Pa- 
ganism is  ignorance,  impurity,  crime.  So  it  has 
ever  been.  It  was  so  even  in  the  proud  Periclean 
age,  when  temples  crowned  the  hills,  and  divinities 
had  their  seats  on  mountain  summits.  Then  art 
was  a  ministry  of  lust,  law  the  guardian  of  vice, 
and  religion  a  gross  deception.  It  is  so  in  the  far 
East  to-day,  under  all  the  broad  reach  of  Ottoman 
rule,  under  the  gloom  of  fetish  worship,  and  on  the 
burning  plains  across  which  pagodas  cast  their 
mocking  shadows.  The  religion  of  Christ,  bom 
and  nurtured  beside  the  altars  of  prayer,  is  that 
alone  which  exalts  and  saves. 

Prayer  is  answered  with  benedictions.  Prayer 
brings  freedom  and  continues  it.     Prayer  dignifies 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  119 

labor,  elevates  woman,  guards  the  purity  of  homes, 
places  the  righteous  in  authority,  builds  sanctuaries, 
sheds  the  soft  light  of  charity,  and  helps  the  fallen 
up  to  God.  Paganism  is  darkness ;  Christianity 
light.  Paganism  is  death ;  Christianity  life.  Pa- 
ganism dwells  hard  by  the  gates  of  hell ;  Chris- 
tianity in  the  suburbs  of  heaven.  Yes,  Christen- 
dom, in  this  age  of  progress,  on  the  borders  of  the 
millennial  glory,  bears  witness  to  the  potency  of 
prayer ;  a  Goshen  in  the  midst  of  moral  night,  its 
life  a  reflection  of  heaven,  and  an  emblem  of  eter- 
nal rest. 

4.  I  might  appeal  to  any  Christian's  experi- 
ence, and  the  answer  would  be  a  confirmation  of 
faith  in  prayer.  What  say  you,  my  brother?  "I 
owe  my  spiritual  life,  my  consciousness  of  God's 
love,  my  hope  of  heaven,  to  prayer.  I  asked,  and 
to  me  it  was  given."  Another  says,  "  I  have  been 
strengthened  to  do  and  endure ;  I  have  been  de- 
livered out  of  temptation ;  I  have  overcome  sinful 
habits  and  spiritual  foes;  I  have  passed  through 
great  afflictions ;  I  have  come  up  out  of  great  dis- 
tresses ;  I  have  ascended  to  the  high  places,  and, 
communing  there  with  my  Lord,  my  sighing  was 
turned  to  singing,  and  in  the  inspiration  of  that 
hDur  I  have  travelled  many  days  until  now; — all 
this  and  far  more  has  been  granted  me  in  answer 
to  prayer,  for  every  one  that  asketh  receiveth,  to 
him  that  knocketh  the  gate  is  opened." 

So  say  all  who   are  Christ's.     Souls  are  borne 


120  Christ's    Valedictory 

into  the  kingdom  of  glory  with  devout  desires  after 
God,  unuttered  or  expressed.  All  the  interval  is 
filled  with  prayer. 

Unbelief  has  raised  many  objections  to  prayer. 
We  do  not  wonder;  for  it  lives  in  a  prayerless 
world,  and,  being  without  an  experience  of  the 
power  of  prayer,  can  speak  less  intelligently  of  it 
than  I  can  speak  of  the  topography  and  climate  of 
Australia  or  Southern  Africa,  lands  I  have  never 
seen. 

It  objects  because  of  the  existence  and  perma- 
nence of  law.     The  objection  has  no  weight.  For : 

1.  God  is  superior  to  law.  He  is  the  maker  of 
it,  and  He  can,  when  necessary,  interrupt  its  oper- 
ation. If  it  should  please  Him,  and  thereby  He 
might  confirm  the  faith  of  His  praying  child.  He 
could  suspend  the  laws  which  govern  all  the 
spheres,  and  the  worlds  would  stop  in  their  circuit ; 
the  night  being  lengthened  or  the  day  prolonged, 
as  His  beloved  sleep,  or  conflict  advances  to  vic- 
tory. Omnipotence  knows  no  Hmit.  ''If  ye  ask 
anything  in  My  name  I  will  do  it." 

2.  We  have  many  illustrations  of  the  supremacy 
of  mind  over  law.  Gravitation  is  a  law  of  nature. 
In  obedience  to  it  the  mountains  stand  fast,  and 
the  rivers  run  to  the  sea.  But  the  human  mind 
may  originate  forces  or  employ  agencies  that  shall 
career  at  pleasure  above  natural  law ;  as  when  the 
train  ascends  the  steep  mountain  grade,  or  the 
reservoir  receives   the  waters   of  the  river  many 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  121 

fathoms  below.  There  are  many  forms  of  human 
industry  which  are  prosecuted  in  direct  opposition 
to  general  law ;  and  yet  the  order  of  the  universe 
is  undisturbed,  and  the  aggregate  of  human  good 
is  greatly  advanced.  And  cannot  God  do  the 
same  ?     Is  man  more  potential  than  the  Creator  ? 

Moreover,  as  it  is  a  fact  of  well  accredited  his- 
tory that  supernatural  events  or  miracles  have  oc- 
curred, it  is  not  impossible  for  them  to  occur  now. 
But  it  may  be  that  the  age  of  miracles,  like  that  of 
prophecy,  having  accomplished  the  design  of  its 
appointment,  has  ceased ;  and  that  God  ordinarily, 
if  not  always,  works  in  connection  with  or  through 
existing  laws.  Yet,  in  harmony  with  these,  God 
often  answers  prayer ;  as,  for  example,  for  physical 
healing.  He  stimulates  the  thought  of  the  physi- 
cian, makes  available  his  resources  of  knowledge, 
directs  the  diagnosis  and  the  choice  of  remedies. 
The  sick  recover.  Prayer  was  answered,  and  yet 
no  miracle  was  wrought.  Or  in  answer  to  prayer 
the  Spirit  may  suggest  spiritual  truths  that  shall 
quiet  the  perturbed  mind,  and,  by  moral  in- 
fluences, calm  the  physical  unrest,  and  so  give 
back  strength  to  the  languishing,  and  life  to  the 
dying ;  and  all  this  in  harmony  with,  and  through 
the  agency  of,  established  law. 

And  so,  in  answer  to  prayer,  our  Lord  who  di- 
rects the  thoughts  of  others,  may  minister  to  our 
poverty,  reward  our  labor,  and  bring  us  out  of  any 
temporal  distress.     In  like  manner  He  may  protect 


122  Christ's   Valedictory 

His  praying  people  from  the  epidemic,  from  acci- 
dent, from  death;  and  the  nation  from  war;  so 
ordering  His  providences,  in  their  influence  upon 
others  or  upon  ourselves,  that  we  shall  be  preserved 
from  evil.  He  may  employ  the  most  trivial  event, 
or  most  insignificant  cause,  to  accomplish  His  pur- 
pose and  reward  the  prayer  of  faith.  He  may  with- 
hold some  mental  support  He  had  been  accustomed 
to  give,  or  prolong  working  hours,  and  so  defeat 
the  purposes  of  an  enemy,  or  discover  a  lurking 
foe.  The  case  of  Cowper  is  familiar.  When  he 
premeditated  self-destruction  by  drowning  in  the 
Thames,  the  hackman  employed  to  take  him  to 
Blackfriar's  bridge  could  not  find  the  place ;  and 
they  wandered  along  the  tortuous  ways  of  the 
great  city  until  they  came  to  the  point  of  starting, 
when  the  paroxysm  of  aberration  terminated,  and 
Cowper,  hastening  to  his  room,  sat  down  and 
wrote, 

«*  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 
His  wonders  to  perform." 

While  all  this  was  transpiring,  prayer  was  as- 
cending from  a  godly  home  in  Olney  to  Him  who 
can,  and  when  it  is  best,  will,  calm  the  troubled 
mind,  as  once  he  quieted  the  storm-tossed  Gali- 
lean lake. 

But  even  Christian  experience  may  interpose  a 
doubt  as  it  recalls  unanswered  prayer.  You,  my 
beloved,    are   an   invalid.     Such    you    long    have 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  123 

been.  For  years  you  have  prayed  for  healing,  and 
it  has  not  been  granted  you.  Yes,  but  health  is  a 
temporal  blessing.  God  has  given  no  absolute 
promise  concerning  that.  Jesus,  who  in  His  part- 
ing address  said,  <*  If  ye  ask  anything  in  My  name 
I  will  do  it,"  has  not  broken  His  word.  Nay,  He 
has  answered  that  prayer  by  giving  you  something 
better;  and  you  should  glory  in  infirmities  also 
while  Jesus  is  sweetly  saying,  *'My  grace  shall  be 
sufficient  for  you."  And  then,  meanwhile,  prayer 
for  spiritual  good  has  been  answered,  and  you  have 
even  assented  to  His  use  of  affliction  in  the  inter- 
ests of  your  spiritual  growth,  as  when  you  said, 

"  Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 
E'en  tho'  it  be  a  cross  that  raiseth  me." 

Or  you,  my  brother,  have  prayed  that  you  might 
glorify  God  in  your  life.  Then  you  thought  of 
some  active  service  in  which  you  might  do  this. 
Your  prayer  was  answered ;  but  not  as  you  had 
hoped.  And  now  you  are  glorifying  God  in  dis- 
appointments, afflictions,  sorrows,  down  in  the 
world's  secluded  places,  rather  than  out  on  the 
broad  fields  of  labor,  and  you  will  praise  the 
prayer-hearer  for  all  that,  above. 

Or  you,  my  stricken  one,  knelt  with  the  dearest 
earthly  object  of  your  love,  and  together  you 
prayed  that  God  would  help  you  lead  the  little 
ones  bowed  with  you  around  the  home-altar,  to 
Himself.     And  soon,  alas  !  the  companion  of  your 


124  Christ's    Valedictory 

service  and  hopes  departed,  and  now  there  stands 
beside  the  hearth  a  vacant  chair.  Responsibihties 
and  cares  press  heavily  upon  you,  and  the  weary 
hours  of  waiting  go  on,  while  these  immortal  souls 
lie  ever  on  your  heart,  on  yours  alone.  But  wait  a 
little  !  God  is  using  natural  affection  to  draw  the 
children  into  His  heavenly  kingdom  ;  and  He  will 
yet  accomplish,  by  that  separation,  what  your 
united  effort  here  might  not  have  secured.  Trust 
Him,  beloved  !  He  will  give  you  far  more  than 
you  have  asked ;  even  infinitely  better  things ;  and 
these  trials  along  the  way  shall  prove  your  choicest 
blessings.  God  often  comes  to  us  in  disguise ;  and 
as  Ulysses  was  unrecognized  at  home  after  long 
absence  in  his  country's  wars,  until  from  the  wall 
he  took  down  and  bent  the  bow  which  never 
yielded  to  any  hand  but  his ;  so  God  may  seem  a 
stranger  until  there  comes  some  benediction  of 
grace,  some  revelation  of  love  and  heaven,  which 
declares  that  presence  His. 

All  this  implies  that  faith  is  a  condition  of  suc- 
cessful prayer.  We  must  honor  eternal  truth  by 
believing  it.  If  we  are  doubting  Thomases,  we 
should  seek  an  increase  of  grace.  God  will  bear 
with  our  weakness,  and  turn  it  to  strength.  There 
is  no  blessing  for  the  doubter  but  at  Jesus'  feet. 

Then  let  us  remember  that  solemn  statement, 
which  should  lead  to  earnest  scrunity :  ''If  I  re- 
gard iniquity  in  my  heart  the  Lord  will  not  hear 
me."     Cherished  sin  will  cast  up  a  wall  between 


Prayer  and  Its  Answer  125 

us  and  God,  through  which  the  voice  of  prayer  can 
never  pass.  This  may  explain  our  want  of  power 
with  God. 

There  may  be  something  wrong  in  the  Hfe ;  some 
forbidden  guest  in  the  heart;  some  unhallowed 
ambition,  corrupt  desire,  or  unholy  love;  some 
spirit  of  unforgiveness,  envy,  hate.  There  may  be 
something  in  the  home,  in  our  business,  in  our 
social  life,  which  God  condemns  and  we  retain. 
Then  a  measureless  space  separates  us  from  our 
grieved  and  injured  Lord,  and  prayer  cannot  be 
answered.     How  sad  and  perilous  our  state  ! 

But  if  we  are  willing  to  part  company  with  sin ; 
confessing  it  with  contrite  hearts,  and  seeking 
grace  to  maintain  henceforth,  while  life  and  being 
last,  a  close  and  uniform  walk  with  God ;  then  the 
past  shall  be  forgiven,  our  most  ardent  desires  shall 
be  exceeded ;  the  way  shall  brighten  as  we  go  on  ; 
clouds  of  anxiety  shall  be  dissolved  ;  Christ's  pres- 
ence shall  gladden  our  hearts  and  homes ;  and,  up 
that  divine  stairway  which  connects  two  worlds,  we 
shall  ascend  to  God,  and  unite  in  the  hallelujahs  of 
heaven,  where  prayer  is  turned  to  praise ;  for 
Jesus'  word  shall  stand  as  long  as  sun  and  moon 
endure:  ''Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name 
that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in 
the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  My  name  I 
will  do  it." 


OBEDIENCE  THE  EVIDENCE  OF  LOVE 


If  ye  love  Me,  keep  My  commandments. — John  xiv.  15. 

Love  is  like  wings  to  the  bird,  like  sails  to  the  ship ;  it 
carries  a  Christian  full  sail  to  heaven.  When  love  cools, 
obedience  slacks  and  drives  heavily,  because  it  wants  the  oil 
on  its  wheel  that  love  used  to  drop. — T.  Watson. 


VIII 
OBEDIENCE  THE  EVIDENCE  OF  LOVE 

We  now  come  to  a  very  practical  clause  in 
Christ's  farewell  address.  '*If  ye  love  Me,  keep 
My  commandments."  These  few  words,  read  in 
the  light  of  the  context,  may  be  paraphrased  thus, 
*'  My  disciples,  it  is  not  sadness  on  account  of  My 
departure  that  will  best  declare  your  regard  for 
Me,  but  your  doing  whatsoever  I  command  you. 
When  I  am  gone  you  may  expect  days  that  shall 
be  dark,  when  faith  shall  be  sorely  tested,  when 
heart  and  flesh  shall  almost  fail,  and  you  may 
question  our  mutual  relations ;  but  if  you  do  My 
commandments,  you  shall  have  no  reason  to  doubt 
your  love  to  Me,  or  Mine  to  you.  Let  your  hearts 
and  lives  be  Mine,  then  the  way  shall  brighten  as 
you  go  on,  and- you  shall  share  My  glory  soon." 
Christ  thus  indicates  the  satisfying  evidence  of 
their  love  to  Him  ;  the  comfort  it  shall  bring  them ; 
and  the  earnests  they  shall  enjoy  of  the  heaven, 
whence,  for  their  sakes  He  came,  and  whither  He 
is  about  to  return. 

Here  let  a  few  things  be  observed.  Christ  does 
not  place  obedience  before  faith.  He  had  just 
said,  ''He  that  believeth  on  Me,  the  works  that  I 
129 


130  Christ's    Valedictory 

do  shall  he  do  also."  His  first  word  to  them  had 
been,  "Ye  beheve  m  God,  believe  also  in  Me." 
Obedience  is  the  fruit  of  faith. 

Neither  does  He  put  their  obedience  in  the  room 
of  His  own  obedience,  which  was  the  only  ground 
of  their  acceptance  with  the  Father.  No  grace  of 
the  Spirit  can  be  substituted  for  Christ  on  the 
cross;  and  the  Christian,  beholding  by  faith  the 
Lamb  of  God,  will  always  say,  with  Charles  Wes- 
ley, *'  Hangs  my  helpless  soul  on  Thee."  But  our 
Lord  states  a  fact  in  Christian  experience,  required 
in  the  economy  of  grace,  that  love  and  obedience 
are  inseparable  ;  and  emphasizes  the  latter  as  a  test 
of  discipleship. 

It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that  Christ  here  indi- 
cates His  divine  authority.  "  Keep  My  command- 
ments." He  who  is  soon  to  hang  on  the  cross, 
sits,  even  now,  on  the  throne,  and  now  that  He  is 
exalted  above  men  and  angels,  one  with  the  Fa- 
ther, it  is  as  certainly  His  prerogative  to  command, 
as  it  is  our  duty  to  obey. 

Let  us,  then,  consider  the  keeping  of  Christ's 
commandments  as  a  universal  obligation,  and  the 
conclusive  evidence  of  love  to  Him.  Christ  de- 
clares the  latter  when  He  says;  "Ye  are  My 
friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you." 

I.  The  duty  enjoined.  "Keep  My  command- 
ments." While  it  is  true  that  Christ,  for  our  sakes, 
was  obedient  unto  the  law,  and  satisfied  it  as  a 
covenant  of  works ;  yet  the  law  remains  as  a  rule 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  131 

of  life.  This  is  a  principle  laid  down  in  the  Old 
Testament,  which  anticipated  the  mission  of 
Christ;  and  is  often  reiterated  in  the  New.  '<Ye 
shall  walk  after  the  Lord  your  God,  and  fear 
Him,  and  keep  His  commandments,  and  obey 
His  voice;  and  ye  shall  serve  Him  and  cleave 
unto  Him."  (Deut.  xiii.  6.)  ''Fear  God," 
says  the  preacher,  ''and  keep  His  command- 
ments, for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man."  The 
Apostle  Paul,  in  the  very  midst  of  his  masterly 
argument  for  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  the 
obedience  of  Christ,  declares  for  himself,  "I  de- 
light in  the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man,"  and 
studiously  seeks  to  guard  the  church  of  the  future 
from  the  error  of  antinomianism  which  afterward 
arose,  and  which  teaches  that  the  law  is  not  a  rule 
of  life  to  believers  under  the  gospel ;  being  a  reac- 
tion from  the  papal  doctrine  of  salvation  by  legal 
obedience.  "Do  we  then  make  void  the  law 
through  faith?"  he  asks,  "God  forbid:  yea  we 
establish  the  law,"  (Rom.  iii.  31)  by  which  is 
meant  not  only  that  Christ  has  magnified  and  con- 
firmed the  law  by  His  obedience  to  it ;  but  that  He 
lays  even  greater  obligations  upon  us  to  conform 
our  lives  to  it,  since  the  cross  supplies  so  many 
arguments,  appealing  to  our  gratitude  and  love,  to 
do  the  will  of  Him  who  gave  His  life  for  us. 

The  exhortation  of  Peter  is  also  familiar  :  "  Giv- 
ing all  diligence,  add  to  your  faith,  virtue ;  and  to 
virtue  knowledge ;  and  to  knowledge  temperance ; 


132  Christ's    Valedictory 

and  to  temperance  patience ;  and  to  patience  god- 
liness; and  to  godliness  brotherly-kindness;  and 
to  brotherly-kindness  charity.  For  if  these  things 
be  in  you  and  abound,  they  make  you  that  ye  shall 
neither  be  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  the  knowledge 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But  he  that  lacketh 
these  things  is  blind,  and  cannot  see  afar  off,  and 
hath  forgotten  that  he  was  purged  from  his  old 
sins."     (2  Pet.  i.  5-9.) 

Again,  we  are  taught  that  the  decisions  of  the 
judgment  day  shall  be  determined  by  the  preceding 
life.  The  sowing  here,  will  determine  the  reaping 
there.  While  all  merit  belongs  only  to  Christ's 
obedience,  and  will  always  be  the  object  of  saving 
faith ;  and  while  our  works  will  always  be  imper- 
fect and  inadequate  as  a  satisfaction  for  sin  and  a 
ground  of  salvation ;  yet,  since  faith  is  a  living, 
active  principle,  and  will  manifest  itself  in  the  life, 
our  obedience  will  prove  our  faith  to  others ;  and 
the  assembled  universe  will  yet  recognize  the  jus- 
tice of  that  decision  which  conveys  eternal  life  to 
those  who  have  walked  in  the  commandments,  and 
kept  the  ordinances,  of  their  Lord  on  earth.  And 
His  emphatic  welcome  to  each  of  His  people, 
"Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter 
thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord,"  makes  it  obvious 
that  the  saved  will  be  those  only  who  have  trusted 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  have  washed  their  robes  and 
made  them  white  in  His  blood ;  and  none  the  less 
certain  that  those  who  will  be  sent  away  into  ever- 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  133 

lasting  punishment,  will  be  the  rejecters  of  that 
only  name  given  among  men  whereby  we  must  be 
saved.  There  is  no  obedience  which  can  be  ac- 
cepted as  the  sign  of  discipleship,  which  does  not 
spring  from  faith  in  Christ  and  love  to  Him ;  in  the 
absence  of  which,  none  shall  be  recognized  as 
Christ's  on  that  day  when  He  maketh  up  His 
jewels. 

2.     For  the  Christian  this  obedience  is  possible. 

While  evangelical  obedience  necessitates  personal 
effort  on  our  part,  it  receives  its  inspiration  and 
support  from  above.  Hence  the  exhortation, 
''Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling,  for  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  both  to 
will  and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure."  Paul  said, 
"I  can  do  all  things  through  Christ  that  strength- 
eneth  me."  In  the  same  strength  it  is  possible  for 
any  one  of  us  to  do  the  will  of  our  ascended  Lord. 
If,  in  our  spiritual  life,  we  employ  the  same  meas- 
ure of  will  and  effort  that  we  bring  to  our  worldly 
pursuits,  we  would  be  far  holier  than  we  are,  and 
the  world  would  know  assuredly  that  we  are  born 
of  God.  We  may  need  to  abridge  somewhat  our 
devotion  to  our  worldly  callings;  to  take  more 
time  from  our  professional  service,  our  political 
ambitions,  or  our  fashionable  life.  At  the  same 
time  it  is  possible  to  be  diligent  in  business  and 
perform  all  our  necessary  duties  in  connection  with 
a  secular  life,  and  yet  be  fervent  in  spirit,  serving 
the  Lord. 


134  Christ's    Valedictory 

Some  think  that  a  high  degree  of  hoUness  is  only 
attainable  by  those  who  are  called  out  of  the  world 
to  commune  with  God  in  the  solitudes  of  nature,  or 
in  the  seclusion  of  sorrow,  sickness,  or  holy  orders. 
From  this  error  sprang  the  asceticism  of  early  ages, 
still  continued.  But  there  are  many  examples  of 
noble,  spiritual  manhood,  which  disprove  such  a 
theory.  We  find  them  in  every  century.  Enoch 
stood  near  the  head  of  an  unbroken  succession  of 
holy  men,  living  in  the  world,  yet  walking  with 
God ;  his  feet  on  earthly  paths,  his  heart  in  heaven. 
Abraham  was  occupied  with  flocks  and  herds, 
and  increased  in  wealth ;  but  wherever  he  pitched 
his  tent  he  reared  his  altar.  Jacob  dug  deep  wells 
that  still  remain,  and  his  nomadic  life  led  him 
back  and  forth  from  the  Lebanon  Mountains  to  the 
South  Country, — but  he  held  frequent  communion 
with  God,  and  waited  for  the  promised  salvation. 
Joseph  was  ruler  over  all  Egypt ;  Moses  was  king 
of  Jeshurin;  Jeremiah  dwelt  in  a  royal  court; 
Daniel  was  third  ruler  in  the  kingdom  of  Babylon ; 
Nehemiah  was  prince  and  governor  in  Jerusalem  ; 
but  they  were  all  noble  saints,  though  they  were 
thus  busied  with  worldly  care. 

Well  did  Manning  say,  "In  all  ages  the  holiest 
believers  have  been  mingled  in  all  the  duties  and 
trials  of  life,  until  age  or  the  events  of  Providence 
set  them  free.  There  was  nothing  uncommon 
about  the  most  of  them  but  their  holiness.  Their 
very  lot  in  life  ministered  to  their  occasions  of  obe- 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  135 

dience  and  humiliation.  They  sought  God  fer- 
vently in  the  turmoil  of  markets,  camps,  and  courts ; 
and  He  revealed  Himself  to  them  in  love,  and  be- 
came the  centre  about  which  they  moved,  and  the 
rest  of  all  their  affections. ' '  And  so  now,  all  classes 
and  conditions  may  ascend  the  very  heights  of  holi- 
ness, and  reflect  afar  the  glory  of  their  risen  Lord. 
Beloved,  there  is  no  limit  to  our  spiritual  advance, 
except  in  the  measure  of  our  own  energy,  self-dis- 
cipline, and  purity  of  purpose. 

To  be  in  the  world ;  to  be  touched  by  it  at  every 
turn  and  on  every  side;  to  be  in  employments 
which  require  our  attention  to  be  turned  habitually 
earthward ;  to  be  brought  into  contact  with  unbe- 
lief, dishonesty,  deception,  and  all  manner  of  sin ; 
to  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  unsanctified  wealth,  of 
worldly  ambition,  of  wickedness  in  high  places,  and 
yet  maintain  the  highest  style  of  godliness ;  this  is 
the  grandest  triumph  of  faith,  and  shall  exalt  to  the 
highest  glory.  This  is  to  show  forth  more  fully  the 
power  of  divine  grace  than  if  we  wrestled  with  few 
temptations,  and  went  to  heaven  with  scarce  a  foe 
or  a  frown.  And  it  may  appear,  when  eternity 
shall  make  its  revelations,  that  the  Asas,  Daniels, 
Wilberforces,  and  Gladstones,  who  maintained 
their  integrity  and  grew  in  holiness  while  sur- 
rounded by  the  cares  and  enticements  of  a  busy 
secular  or  political  life,  will  wear  whiter  robes  and 
stand  nearer  the  throne  than  some  Bible  saints,  de- 
voted to  the  tabernacle  and  temple,  or  such  later 


136  Christ's    Valedictory 

believers  as  Thomas  a  Kempis  and  Madame 
Guyon. 

Obedience  is  possible  for  all,  without  respect  to 
calling  or  lot  in  life.  God  does  not  require  of  any 
that  which  is  unattainable.  If  we  are  weak  and 
worldly,  living  much  of  the  time  on  a  low  spiritual 
plane,  with  our  hope  of  heaven  darkened,  and  with 
others  in  doubt  as  to  our  piety,  the  fault  is  our 
own.  We  do  not  seek  that  we  may  find ;  we  do 
not  labor  that  we  may  attain ;  we  do  not  strive  that 
we  may  conquer  and  go  up  to  the  higher  grounds 
on  the  borders  of  heaven. 

3.     This  obedience  should  be  universal. 

The  obligation  extends  to  all  the  commandments 
Christ  has  given,  as  applicable  to  our  conditions 
and  callings  in  life;  to  the  principles  of  conduct 
contained  in  the  sermon  on  the  Mount;  to  the 
Decalogue,  as  He  has  interpreted  it ;  to  every  ex- 
pression of  the  divine  will  contained  in  the  sacred 
Scriptures.  No  election  or  omission  is  admissible. 
There  are  some  duties  which  require  a  greater  sac- 
rifice of  feeling,  of  personal  will,  of  constitutional 
habits,  tastes  and  temper,  than  others.  We  incline 
to  the  easier,  and  by  the  performance  of  these, 
think  to  excuse  the  neglect  of  the  more  arduous 
and  painful.  But  the  reach  of  our  obedience  should 
be  the  revealed  will  of  God. 

In  all  the  relations  of  life ;  as  parents  and  chil- 
dren ;  friends  and  neighbors  ;  pastors  and  people ; 
as  members  of  the  church,  and  citizens  of  the  state ; 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  137 

as  probationers  for  eternity,  and  heirs  of  a  heavenly- 
kingdom;  we  have  obligations  which  cannot  be 
transferred  or  set  aside.  God  requires  the  exercise 
of  love,  sympathy,  forbearance,  forgiveness,  words 
of  kindness,  ministrations  of  mercy,  works  of  char- 
ity ;  consideration  for  those  who  love  and  for  those 
who  hate  us ;  for  those  who  accord  with  our  opin- 
ions and  for  those  who  oppose  them  ;  for  those  who 
praise  us  and  for  those  who  despitefully  use  and 
persecute  us ;  for  those  of  our  own  religious  sect, 
and  for  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by 
whatever  name  they  may  be  called. 

We  are  also  to  glorify  our  Lord  in  afflictions; 
acquiescing  in  His  will  when  He  leads  us  through 
the  fires ;  bearing  any  cross  He  sees  fit  to  lay  upon 
us;  submitting  to  any  humiliation  in  person,  or 
office,  or  service  He  appoints ;  that  we  may  magnify 
His  grace,  ever  saying,  ''Not  my  will  but  Thine  be 
done,"  believing  the  way  of  suffering  to  be  the  way 
of  Ufe. 

Obedience  is  not  always  or  immediately  pleas- 
ant. Our  Saviour's  feet  were  often  on  painful 
paths ;  so  must  ours  be.  He  passed  through  trib- 
ulation; so  must  we.  The  cloud  often  covered 
Him,  and  the  storm  spent  its  fury  upon  Him ;  we 
must  be  made  perfect  through  the  discipline  of 
sorrow. 

Hence,  there  will  be  frequent  occasion  for  Chris- 
tian submission  and  patience.  Our  Lord  would 
have  us  lie  passive  in  His  hand,  and  have  no  will 


138  Christ's    Valedictory 

but  His.  By  this  self-surrender  we  honor  Him; 
we  manifest  the  sufficiency  of  His  grace  to  sustain ; 
and  the  power  of  faith  to  pierce  the  cloud,  and 
dwell  beyond  it.  Paul,  who  received  his  apostle- 
ship  from  Christ,  when  beaten  with  rods;  when 
stoned,  and  imprisoned  at  Rome;  glorified  his 
Master  as  certainly  as  when  he  preached  Jesus  on 
Mars'  Hill,  or  discoursed  to  the  most  noble  Festus. 
So  also  did  Peter  in  his  crucifixion,  and  John  in 
his  banishment,  and  Thomas  in  his  martyrdom ;  as 
fully  as  when  the  first  spoke  with  the  tongue  of  fire, 
or  the  second  uttered  messages  of  peace,  or  the 
third  bore  the  cross  of  Christ  from  Jerusalem  to 
the  darker  regions  beyond. 

This,  then,  is  the  obedience  required.  It  is 
active  and  passive;  minute  and  universal;  secret 
and  open;  sincere  and  affectionate;  prompt  and 
cheerful ;  its  rule  the  divine  word ;  its  measure  the 
whole  heart  and  mind  and  strength ;  its  limit  the 
world  and  the  last  hour  of  conscious  being. 

Notice  some  of  the  results  of  obedience. 

I.  By  obedience,  our  love  to  Christ  is  mani- 
fested. It  is  the  outward  expression  of  an  inward 
grace.  Life  in  nature  cannot  be  hidden.  It  ap- 
pears in  the  tree,  when  the  winter  is  past ;  in  the 
opening  bud,  the  fragrant  blossoms,  the  matured 
fruit.  It  is  seen  in  the  meadows  clothed  with  grass ; 
in  the  fields  covered  with  waving  grain ;  in  the 
streams  which  issue  from  fountains  out  of  sight, 
sending  their  tribute  to  the  sea.     So  spiritual  life 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  139 

cannot  be  concealed.  Love  will  manifest  itself  in 
appropriate  works.  Jesus  says,  *'!{  ye  lovr  Me 
ye  will  keep  My  sayings." 

Love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law ;  and  a  willing 
service  is  its  expression.  Love  makes  the  heart  an 
Eden  for  fruitfulness  and  beauty.  Goldsmith  said, 
**  It  shows  itself  in  a  thousand  unpremediated  sal- 
lies of  fondness."  The  mother  nourishes  her  child, 
clothes  it,  ministers  to  it  when  sick,  keeps  the  long 
night  vigil  when  others  sleep,  stands  between  it 
and  harm,  and  cheerfully  sacrifices  her  own  com- 
fort for  its  good.  Thus  the  heart  reports  its  quench- 
less love. 

A  ship  is  going  down  at  sea.  Many  have  entered 
the  lifeboat,  others  are  near  it,  struggling  among 
the  waves.  Room  remains  for  only  one.  A  man 
approaches  on  a  fragment  of  the  wreck,  bearing 
something  concealed  in  his  arms.  A  voice,  kind 
yet  firm,  says,  ''Leave  your  burden  and  be  saved, 
or  keep  it  and  perish."  The  decision  is  quickly 
made.  The  man  casts  the  burden  in,  and  himself 
sinks  beneath  the  waves.  And  what  is  it  for  which 
he  surrendered  his  life.  The  covering  is  removed, 
and  two  children,  tender  and  beautiful,  all  uncon- 
scious of  danger,  look  out  from  their  hiding-place. 
He  was  only  a  slave  that  did  that  strange  act.  But 
his  was  a  love  that  allied  him  to  angels. 

Do  I  love  Christ  ?  My  love  to  Him  will  show 
itself  in  my  life.  When  He  speaks,  I  will  listen ; 
when  He  commands,  I  will  obey;  when  He  lays 


140  Christ's    Valedictory 

His  cross  upon  me,  I  will  bear  it ;  and  love  will 
make  the  burden  light. 

The  stately  and  gifted  Lord  Brooks  was  so  drawn 
to  Sir  Philip  Sidney  that  he  preferred  his  society  to 
the  grandeur  of  courts,  spoke  of  him  with  great 
affection,  and  directed  that,  on  his  tombstone, 
should  be  this  inscription  only,  ''Here  lies  the 
friend  of  Sir  Philip  Sidney."  So  if  we  love  Christ, 
communion  with  Him  shall  be  sweet,  and  when 
we  die  we  shall  desire  no  higher  praise  than  that 
we  were  the  followers  of  the  Lord  of  glory. 

Love  to  Christ  expresses  itself  in  words.  It  says, 
with  Peter  kneeling  at  Jesus'  feet ;  "  Thou  knowest 
that  I  love  Thee ;  ' '  and  then  adds  the  service  of  a 
consecrated  life.  Philip  Henry  said  ''Thanksgiv- 
ing is  well,  but  thanksliving  is  better." 

2.     Obedience  strengthens  love. 

As  it  is  prompted  by  affection,  so  it  reacts  upon 
it.  Do  you  find  your  love  for  a  friend  decaying  ? 
Go  and  minister  to  him.  Help  him  carry  his  bur- 
den. Perform  any  office  of  kindness,  and  a  warm 
glow  of  affection  will  thrill  your  heart.  So  the 
more  careful  we  are  to  do  and  suffer  the  will  of 
Christ,  the  more  we  shall  love  him :  forbidden 
guests  will  be  displaced  by  a  heavenly  presence, 
and  the  circle  of  our  being  will  be  extended  that  it 
may  take  in  more  of  Jesus.  For  this  reason  He 
said  to  His  disciples,  "If  ye  love  Me  keep  My 
commandments. ' ' 

Does  the  Master  call  you  to  some  difficult  serv- 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  141 

ice,  involving  self-sacrifice,  and  giving  no  promise 
of  immediate  success?  He  would  increase  your 
love  to  Himself,  leading  you  through  obedience 
to  a  higher  life,  and  into  closer  fellowship  with 
heaven.  Does  Jesus  ask  you  to  confess  Him  be- 
fore men  ;  to  make  it  manifest  in  any  way  to  others 
that  you  believe  His  word  and  trust  His  grace? 
Obey  Him,  and  your  heart  shall  be  enlarged,  your 
soul  shall  cling  to  Him  with  a  warmer,  stronger 
love,  and  a  fragment  of  His  heaven  Shall  come 
down  into  your  earthly  life,  quickening  your  home- 
ward steps.  To  obey  is  to  love.  To  follow  on  is 
to  be  perfected  in  love. 

3.     Obedience  proves  our  discipleship. 

Elsewhere  in  this  affectionate  valedictory,  Jesus 
says,  '^  Ye  are  My  friends  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I 
command  you."  Are  we  Christians?  or  have  we 
only  a  name  to  live  while  dead  ?  The  question  is 
all-important.  It  involves  eternal  interests.  There 
is  great  danger  of  deception.  Many  mistake  knowl- 
edge for  faith,  conviction  for  conversion,  a  tempor- 
ary joy  for  a  Christian  experience,  a  profession  of 
religion  for  adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  What 
am  I  ?  Whither  am  I  going  ?  Is  my  hope  mere 
presumption,  my  security  a  delusion  ? 

"  Do  I  love  the  Lord  or  no : 
Am  I  His  or  am  I  not  ?  " 

The  settlement  of  the  question  is  possible,  nay 
more ;  it  is  duty. 


142  Christ's    Valedictory 

God  has  given  us  a  test  of  piety.  The  elec- 
trometer is  not  more  infallible.  It  is  obedience. 
Jesus  says,  *'  If  a  man  love  Me  he  will  keep  My 
words."  In  the  absence  of  obedience,  all  other 
evidences  are  deceptive.  Do  I  habitually  neglect 
prayer,  the  Word  of  God,  and  public  ordinances  ? 
Do  I  refuse  to  work  for  Christ,  to  seek  the  lost, 
and  help  on  the  triumphs  of  the  cross  ?  Do  I  live 
an  unsympathetic  life,  leave  others  to  bear  their 
burdens  alone,  neither  rejoicing  with  those  that  do 
rejoice,  nor  weeping  with  those  that  weep  ?  Do  I, 
in  any  way,  profane  the  name  of  God,  desecrate 
His  Sabbaths,  defile  His  sanctuary  ?  Is  the  influ- 
ence of  my  example  against  holy  living,  and  in  the 
interests  of  sin  ?  Am  I  hasty  in  temper ;  extrava- 
gant in  speech;  unforgiving  in  disposition;  un- 
charitable in  judgment ;  ready  to  rule,  but  not  to 
serve ;  to  lead,  but  not  to  follow ;  to  give  advice, 
but  not  to  take  it ;  to  rebuke,  but  not  to  accept  re- 
proof; and  do  I  make  no  earnest,  prayerful  effort 
to  do  the  Master's  will,  to  overcome  sin,  and  be- 
come like  Christ  ?  Then  I  have  reason  to  fear  that 
I  am  not  His. 

It  does  not  help  the  matter  that  I  belong  to  the 
Church ;  associate  with  religious  people ;  have  re- 
ligious books  in  my  library ;  talk  about  the  Church, 
and  come  to  the  communion  table.  It  is  not 
enough  that  I  occasionally  have  serious  thoughts, 
and  hope  some  time  to  be  better ;  that  I  feel  far 
more  on  the  subject  of  religion  than  most  people 


Obedience  the  Evidence  of  Love  143 

think ;  and  make  many  resolutions  to  break  off  my 
sins.  It  does  not  prove  me  a  friend  of  Christ's, 
that  charitable  people  think  I  am  a  Christian ;  that 
they  commit  important  interests  to  my  trust ;  and 
that  I  am  really  better  than  many  others  who  bear 
the  name  of  Christ.  It  is  not  an  evidence  of 
piety,  that  I  have  much  denominational  zeal ;  that 
I  am  quite  familiar  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church ;  can  state  them  clearly  and  defend  them 
successfully ;  am  able  to  tell  much  about  the  Rom- 
ish apostasy,  to  analyze  the  character  of  Leo  X., 
and  Tetzel,  and  Claverhouse;  tell  all  about  the 
Diet  of  Worms,  the  Council  of  Trent,  the  Edict 
of  Nantes,  and  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant ; 
of  which  many  Christians  have  never  heard.  It  is 
not  so  much  the  head  as  the  heart  that  God  claims ; 
the  confessing  Christ,  as  the  living  Christ;  the 
thinking  about  holiness,  as  the  being  holy,  that 
proves  us  Christians. 

Try  yourself  by  Christ's  own  test ;  and  if  you 
have  never  done  His  will,  may  God  help  you  be- 
gin to-day.  Apply  at  once  to  Him  who  alone  can 
save  the  lost ;  asking  that  you  may  be  born  again, 
that  you  may  grow  like  Him,  and  be  accepted  in 
Him,  when  the  judgment  is  come,  and  eternity 
stretches  a  limitless  life  before  you. 

If  you  are  a  Christian,  seek  to  live  nearer  your 
soul's  beloved.  Strive  after  more  holiness,  greater 
usefulness,  and  a  deeper  impression  of  the  world 
to  come.     May  the  future  be  better  than  the  past, 


144  Christ's    Valedictory 

because  more  filled  with  Christ's  presence,  and 
more  occupied  in  Christ's  service,  and  more  pro- 
phetic of  Christ's  everlasting  joy.  And  when 
time  shall  be  no  longer,  may  you,  my  beloved,  be 
received  up  into  Christ's  own  eternity,  to  dwell 
amid  His  glorious  perfections,  where  the  progress 
of  your  life  shall  not  be  marked  by  changing  sea- 
sons and  revolving  years,  but  Christ,  enthroned  and 
glorified,  shall  be  your  everlasting  light,  and  the 
summer  of  His  love  shall  reach  through  the  end- 
less years. 


THE  COMFORTER 


And  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever. 

— John  xiv.  i6. 

All  evangelical  privileges  which  believers  enjoy  in  this 
world,  centre  in  the  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  He  is  the 
great  promise  that  Christ  made  to  His  disciples,  the  legacy 
which  He  has  bequeathed  to  them.  The  grant  made  to  Him 
by  the  Father,  when  He  had  done  all  His  will,  was  this  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  to  be  communicated  by  Him  to  the  Church. 
This  He  received  of  the  Father.  This  Spirit  He  now  gives 
to  believers ;  and  7io  tongue  can  express  the  benefits  which 
they  receive  thereby. — J.  Owen. 


IX 

THE  COMFORTER 

As  Jesus  looked  into  the  sad  faces  of  His  disci- 
ples, and  read  the  anxious  thoughts  that  arose  in 
their  hearts,  He  was  moved  with  compassion  toward 
them.  From  the  first  He  had  foreseen  their  pres- 
ent state  of  mind  and  the  trials  that  would  follow ; 
and  now  that  they  are  entering  the  cloud  that  must, 
for  a  season,  smite  them  with  its  chill ;  acting  in 
harmony  with  that  principle  in  the  divine  economy 
which  meets  the  need  of  believers  as  it  arises,  He 
gives  them  the  promise  of  the  Comforter  who  shall 
abide  with  them  forever. 

When  Christ  says,  ''I  will  pray  the  Father 
and  He  will  send  you  another  Comforter,"  we  are 
not  to  understand  any  unwillingness  on  the  part  of 
the  Father  to  bestow  this  great  gift ;  but  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  can  be  given  only  in  answer  to  Christ's 
intercession,  based  upon  His  sacrificial  work. 
Moreover,  it  is  to  be  understood  that,  in  the  cove- 
nant of  grace,  it  is  the  Father  only  who  commis- 
sions the  Spirit  to  apply  to  us  the  redemption  pur- 
chased by  His  Son  ;  implanting  spiritual  life  in  our 
souls,  in  virtue  of  Christ's  mediation ;  continuing 
it  through  all  the  experiences  of  the  present  state, 
147 


148  Christ's    Valedictory 

and,  at  the  last,  making  us  meet  for  the  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light. 

It  was  also  a  part  of  the  divine  economy,  the  in- 
terpretation of  which  will  be  more  fully  made  here- 
after, that  before  the  Spirit's  special  dispensation 
could  be  inaugurated,  Christ  must  return  to  the 
Father.  The  High  Priest  of  our  profession  having 
gone  within  the  veil,  bearing  the  blood  of  His  sac- 
rifice, our  humanity  exalted  in  His  glorified  per- 
son; the  Comforter  comes  to  remain  with  the 
Church,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 

This  is  Christ's  first  mention  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  related  to  spiritual  life.  We  are  not  to  infer 
from  this  that  the  Spirit  had  not  previously  been 
with  believers.  His  work  began  with  the  inception 
of  the  scheme  of  redemption,  as  revealed  in  the 
first  promise.  He  came  in  anticipation  of  the 
atoning  work  of  Christ,  which  was  assured  by  the 
covenant  of  grace,  and  the  word  of  God  which 
cannot  be  broken.  Every  instance  of  regeneration, 
of  personal  holiness,  of  triumph  over  sin,  and  en- 
trance into  glory,  from  the  days  of  the  martyred 
Abel  until  Christ's  coming,  was  the  fruit  of  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  the  extent  and 
depth  of  His  work  had  been  restricted,  waiting  the 
death  to  be  accomplished  at  Jerusalem.  Since 
His  gracious  designs  are  ordinarily  accomplished 
through  the  truth,  His  greater  power  can  be  mani- 
fested only  in  connection  with  the  larger  revelation 
q{  truth. 


The  Comforter  149 

This  accounts  for  the  comparatively  few  conver- 
sions in  the  ages  preceding  Christ.  Saving  truth 
was  limited  both  as  to  its  measures  and  results.  It 
was  as  the  dim  light  of  the  morning,  and  largely 
confined  to  Canaan  and  the  Hebrews.  There  was 
much  in  the  teaching  of  the  prophets  and  the  sym- 
bolism of  the  Mosaic  economy  which  needed  the 
interpretation  of  the  Cross.  The  scenes  of  Calvary 
and  the  glory  of  the  Ascension  brought  in  the  gos- 
pel day.  It  was  as  if  the  sun  which  had  long 
lingered  behind  the  Moab  Mountains,  its  light  a 
reflection  chiefly,  had  suddenly  risen  above  the 
loftiest  summits  and  flooded  the  world  with  efl'ul- 
gence.  Now  the  field  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  opera- 
tion is  greatly  extended.  Pentecost,  and  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world,  are  possible.  The  one  came 
speedily,  and  the  other  is  sure  to  follow. 

A  peculiar  interest  attaches  to  the  designation  of 
the  Spirit  as  another  Comforter.  The  hearts  of 
the  disciples  clung  to  Christ.  They  would  not 
have  His  office  of  sympathy  terminated.  His 
words  had  been  to  their  hearts  as  balm  distilling 
from  the  trees  of  God,  and  it  had  lightened  the 
cross  to  have  Him  bear  the  heavier  part.  They 
would  have  Him  stay.  So  He  will.  It  is  only 
His  humanity  that  shall  depart.  '^  Yet  a  little 
while  and  the  world  shall  see  Me  no  more ;  but  ye 
see  Me."  It  was  a  great  comfort  to  McCheyne  to 
know  that  tht  divine  nature  of  Jesus  was  always 
with  him,  reporting  all  his  sorrows  to  the  human 


150  Christ's    Valedictory 

heart  in  heaven.  In  all  our  afflictions  He  is  still 
afflicted. 

The  Holy  Spirit,  so  far  from  displacing  Christ, 
makes  Him  a  more  real  presence.  He  is  another 
Comforter  in  that  His  office  embraces  a  wider  range 
of  truth ;  and,  while  He  interprets  it,  He  increases 
its  power  over  us.  To  depreciate  His  work  would 
be  to  grieve  Him;  but,  inasmuch  as  He  is  ever 
taking  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  showing  them 
unto  us.  He  is  well  pleased  when  we  magnify  the 
work  of  our  now  ascended  Lord,  and  gather  all  the 
tendrils  of  our  hearts  about  His  glorious  person. 
John  Calvin  says:  ''It  is  the  office  of  the  Spirit 
to  make  us  partakers  of  Christ  Himself  as  well 
as  of  all  His  blessings."  There  is  no  rivalry 
here. 

In  this  address  to  His  disciples  Jesus  designates 
the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  ''Paraclete."  This  is  the 
word  translated  Comforter.  It  signifies  one  that  is 
called ;  as,  in  some  great  emergency  of  life,  we 
appeal  to  another  for  help.  Some  have  rendered  it 
"advocate,"  others  "teacher,"  while  many  think 
an  "intercessor"  is  intended. 

The  most  generally  accepted  view,  perhaps,  is 
that  which  regards  the  Spirit  as  a  "  helper."  This 
is  a  more  comprehensive  term,  since  it  embraces 
all  the  rest.  Whatever  the  emergency  that  arises. 
His  office  is  adapted  to  it.  He  is  our  advocate, 
pleading  our  cause  before  the  Father ;  our  teacher, 
widening  our  spiritual  vision  ;  our  intercessor,  both 


The  Comforter  151 

inditing  our  petitions  and  bearing  them  on  high ; 
our  comforter,  walking  at  our  side  along  every 
darkened  road,  bringing  to  our  remembrance  the 
words  of  Jesus  which  are  specially  suited  to  our 
trial;  and,  by  some  promise  which  shall  stand 
while  sun  and  moon  endure,  brightening  the  path 
which  leads  us  home. 

In  this  connection  let  us  observe  that 

I.     The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  person. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  even  some  Christians  think 
of  Him  as  an  influence,  feeling,  or  attribute ;  pro- 
ceeding from  God  as  light  from  the  sun,  or  heat 
from  that  burning  orb.  To  entertain  so  low  a  view 
of  the  Spirit  is  to  dishonor  Him,  and  to  suffer 
spiritual  loss.  The  Comforter  possesses  whatever 
distinguishes  a  person :  individual  subsistence,  in- 
telligence and  will.  These  cannot  be  attributed  to 
any  mere  influence,  attribute,  or  emotion.  He  is 
said  to  know  all  things,  even  the  deep  things  of 
God.  He  is  the  object  of  reverence,  obedience 
and  love.  Christ  unquestionably  declares  the  Spirit 
a  person  when  He  represents  Him  as  a  teacher, 
sanctifier  and  comforter,  performing  offices  that  be- 
long to  a  person  only,  and  says  of  Him,  ''I  will 
pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter  that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever ; 
even  the  Spirit  of  truth ;  whom  the  world  cannot 
receive,  because  it  seeth  Him  not,  neither  knoweth 
Him ;  but  ye  know  Him ;  for  He  dwelleth  in  you 
and  shall  be  in  you."     ''He  shall  teach  you  all 


152  Christ's    Valedictory 

things."     *' He  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  of 
righteousness,  and  of  judgment." 

Moreover  the  works  ascribed  to  Him  prove  Him 
a  divine  person.  He  fashioned  the  world;  He 
garnished  the  heavens.  All  natural  life  is  supported 
by  Him,  from  the  lichen  on  the  rock,  to  the  cedar 
on  Lebanon ;  from  the  animalcule  in  the  water,  to 
the  archangel  before  the  throne. 

Christ  instructed  His  disciples  to  baptize  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  Apostolic  benediction  linked  the 
Spirit  with  the  Father  and  the  Son.  To-day  the 
Church  throughout  the  world,  in  its  reverential 
gloria,  is  singing,  ''  Glory  be  to  the  Father,  and  to 
the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Ghost ;  as  it  was  in  the 
beginning,  is  now,  and  ever  shall  be,  world  without 
end."  When  the  crowning  work  of  creation  was* 
approached,  God  said,  "Let  us  make  man,"  and 
each  person  of  the  Godhead  bore  a  part.  When 
man  is  to  be  saved,  each  person  of  the  Godhead 
shares  in  the  work.  A  gospel  without  the  Trinity 
would  be  like  an  inverted  cone,  which  has  no  proper 
base  on  which  to  stand. 

2.  This  brings  us  to  the  more  definite  consider- 
ation of  the  Offices  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  promise  of  the  Comforter,  as  given  to  the 
disciples,  while  embracing  the  spiritual  good  re- 
quired by  all  believers,  had  a  special  reference  to 
the  exceptional  work  and  circumstances  of  the 
apostles.     They  were  to  lay  the  foundations  of  the 


The   Comforter  153 

New  Testament  Church.  To  do  this,  they  required 
an  equipment  beyond  the  ordinary  necessities  of 
God's  people.  The  Holy  Spirit  adapted  Himself 
to  the  extraordinary  conditions  then  existing. 
Hence,in  fulfillment  of  Christ's  promise,  He  im- 
parted to  the  disciples  the  gift  of  tongues.  This 
opened  to  them  doors  of  usefulness  in  every  land. 
There  was  no  long  study  of  languages  required,  or 
patient  waiting  at  the  gates  of  great  achievements, 
as  in  each  missionary  enterprise  of  to-day.  More- 
over, they  were  clothed  by  the  Spirit  with  mirac- 
ulous power.  Thus  their  work  and  their  authority 
as  teachers  was  shown  to  be  divine.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  Holy  Spirit  joined  Himself  to  the  words 
they  uttered,  so  that  converts  were  multiplied  as  the 
clouds,  and  as  doves  that  hastened  to  their  win- 
dows. Soon  they  came  to  understand  the  almost 
incredible  statement  of  Christ  that  they,  unlearned, 
weak,  and  sinful  men,  should  do  greater  works 
than  He;  for  the  result  of  Peter's  sermon  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  far  exceeded,  in  the  number  of 
conversions,  that  which  attended  the  entire  ministry 
of  Christ. 

But  when  Jesus  promised  to  give  the  Comforter 
He  had  in  mind  all  believers,  in  all  time.  The 
Holy  Spirit,  who  provided  for  Christ  His  human 
body,  and  endued  Him  plenteously  with  strength 
and  wisdom,  and  every  preparation  for  His  work, 
will  give  to  God's  chosen  people  whatsoever  is 
needful  for  this  life,  and  for  that  which  is  to  come. 


154  Christ's   Valedictory 

1 .  Spiritual  life  is  originated  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
By  His  power  the  soul  is  born  again.  The  truth, 
as  an  instrument,  is  adapted  to  the  minds  and 
hearts  of  men,  but  it  must  be  accompanied  with 
superhuman  energy.  Without  this,  the  gospel  is 
powerless,  and  human  eloquence  of  no  avail. 
Whitefield  besought  sinners  with  strong  crying  and 
tears  to  turn  and  live.  But  he  knew  that  his  suf- 
ficiency was  of  God.  As  well  might  he  have 
thought,  by  a  word,  to  arrest  the  current  of  the 
Delaware  on  whose  bank  he  stood,  and  send  it 
surging  back  to  its  source,  as  by  his  own  strength 
to  lead  a  soul  to  God.  He  acknowledged  that  he 
was  a  mere  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  and,  when  divine  power  attended  his  fervid 
utterance,  as  Philip  was  joined  to  the  eunuch's 
chariot,  souls  were  born  again. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  our  teacher.  He  en- 
lightens believers  in  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
He  gives  understanding  to  perceive  the  truth  and 
power  to  appropriate  it.  What  long  steps  Peter 
took  in  his  knowledge  of  Christ's  person,  offices; 
and  work,  during  the  memorable  ten  days  of 
prayer ;  and  how  much  greater  his  advance  after 
Pentecost  was  fully  come  !  How  wide  and  far- 
reaching  the  compass  of  his  spiritual  vision ! 
Listen  to  his  impassioned  sermon  addressed  to  the 
thousands  who  crowded  the  open  spaces  in  Jerusa- 
lem on  the  day  the  Spirit  descended  on  the  wings 
of  a  mighty,  rushing  wind.     He  speaks  like  a  vet- 


The  Comforter  155 

eran  in  the  school  of  Christ.  The  multitude  listen, 
admire,  wonder.  In  his  light,  they  see  light;  a 
startling  effulgence  like  that  which  afterward 
wrapped  Saul  on  the  Damascus  road. 

By  a  more  gradual  process  the  Spirit  ordinarily 
enhghtens  believers.  He  aids  their  search  after 
truth.  They  learn  more  and  more  of  its  fathom- 
less depths,  its  infinite  heights,  its  measureless  ex- 
panse. At  the  first,  some  essential  truth  is  like  the 
cloud  seen  from  Carmel,  on  the  far-off  horizon  of  the 
great  Sea,  no  larger  than  a  man's  hand,  but  as  they 
meditate  upon  it,  it  extends  its  ample  reach  until 
at  last  it  covers  the  spiritual  firmament,  and  pours 
down  its  refreshing  baptism.  How  much  we  need 
the  Spirit  that  we  may  find  the  truth,  that  we  may 
feel  its  power,  and  rise  on  its  wings,  above  all  visible 
worlds,  into  the  very  presence-chamber  of  God. 

3.  All  this  suggests,  as  its  sequel,  the  sanctifi- 
cation  of  the  believer  by  the  Holy  Spirit  through 
the  truth.  The  soul,  born  from  above,  hungers 
after  personal  holiness,  as  the  child  after  the  nour- 
ishment drawn  from  the  mother's  life.  The  great 
thoughts  of  God,  as  revealed  by  the  Spirit,  detach 
us  from  what  is  low  and  sinful,  and  bring  us  into 
sympathy  with  the  infinite  and  eternal.  There  is 
power  in  great  ideas.  They  have  always  been  the 
levers  to  lift  the  world  to  higher  orbits.  Of  them, 
great  epochs  in  human  history  have  been  born. 
They  have  brought  invisible  things  to  sight ;  revo- 
lutionized kingdoms;  discovered  unknown   conti- 


156  Christ's    Valedictory 

nents ;  opened  the  gates  of  natural  science ;  brought 
the  Church  out  of  the  sepulchres  of  formalism  and 
error;  and  borne  the  soul  aloft,  as  in  the  Tishbite's 
chariot,  to  the  summits  of  faith,  and  hope,  and 
glorious  vision. 

God  is  in  nature  as  well  as  in  grace.  The  heav- 
ens declare  His  glory,  and  the  firmament  showeth 
His  handiwork.  The  thoughtful  mind  is  impressed 
by  the  prolonged  contemplation  of  the  starry 
heavens.  No  one  laughs  and  trifles  when  gazing 
up  the  slopes  of  the  awe-inspiring  Mount  Blanc ; 
or  when  listening  to  the  roar  of  Niagara ;  or  when 
watching  the  descent  of  an  awful  avalanche.  But 
spiritual  truth,  under  the  teaching  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  produces  spiritual  results  which  ally  us  to 
the  angels,  and  surround  us  with  the  splendors 
and  solemnities  of  an  eternal  state.  If  we  know 
but  little  of  divine  truth  ;  if  we  are  arrayed  only  in 
shreds  of  Christ's  beauty,  and  realize  but  faintly 
the  power  of  the  world  to  come,  the  fault  is  our 
own.  The  Spirit  invites  us  to  study  the  Word, 
and  assures  us  of  His  helpful  offices  in  learning  the 
truth,  and  in  attaining  personal  holiness,  which  is 
the  fruit  of  spiritual  knowledge.  Likeness  to  Christ 
is  the  highest  form  of  culture.  That  we  might  se- 
cure it  was  the  chief  design  of  Christ's  mission; 
and  it  is  a  joy  to  know  that  the  Holy  Spirit,  work- 
ing through  the  truth,  is  willing  to  lead  on  to  this 
result,  more  to  be  desired  than  rubies,  than  the 
whole  earth,  than  all  the  worlds. 


The  Comforter  167 

4.     The  Spirit  is  also  our  Comforter. 

He  certifies  to  us  our  conversion.  John  says, 
*'  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God  hath  the 
witness  in  himself."  Paul  declares  the  same, 
"The  Spirit  Himself  beareth  witness  with  our 
spirits,  that  we  are  the  children  of  God."  The 
Holy  Spirit  has  direct  access  to  the  soul.  This  is 
a  mystery.  We  do  not  therefore  doubt  it.  The 
entire  work  of  the  Spirit  is  beyond  our  comprehen- 
sion, and  is,  like  the  wind,  unseen  but  felt,  which 
bloweth  where  it  listeth. 

But  mystery  is  everywhere.  It  abides  in  our  be- 
ing. Who  can  interpret  the  laws  of  matter  and 
of  mind ;  tell  how  the  ear  hears,  the  eye  sees,  or 
the  will  controls  the  movements  of  our  bodies  ?  As 
Christians,  we  know  the  Spirit's  voice,  and  we  con- 
tinually hear  it  within.  How  often,  in  the  dark 
and  cloudy  day,  when  temptations  have  beset  us, 
and  Satan  has  wounded  us,  and  sin  has  broken  us 
down,  and  we  lie,  it  may  be,  on  the  borders  of 
despair,  longing  after  God  and  quietness  and 
hope,  we  have  heard,  in  the  far-off  chamber  of 
our  souls,  a  heavenly  whisper,  saying  **  Thou  art  a 
child  of  God.  He  will  care  for  His  own."  He  is 
called  the  Spirit  of  Truth ;  for  He  is  the  author  of 
all  truth.  He  also  opens  the  understanding  that 
the  truth  may  enter.  Receiving  the  truth  we  find 
comfort,  and  are  clothed  with  strength  to  do  and 
to  bear. 

Ordinarily,  the  Holy  Spirit  comforts  us  through 


158  Christ's    Valedictory 

the  Scriptures  He  inspired.  He  especially  loves  to 
quote  the  words  of  Jesus,  and  then  unfold  their 
meaning,  as  in  the  bow  which  spans  the  clouds  He 
unbraids  the  tissues  of  light.  "He  shall  bring  all 
things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have 
said  to  you."  Have  we  not  often  observed,  in 
time  of  trouble,  that  some  great  promise,  which 
had  dropped  out  of  our  thoughts,  was  suddenly 
brought  to  mind.  It  was  borne  into  the  inner 
sanctuary  of  our  grief,  and  Jesus  came  with  it. 
We  saw  its  fulness,  preciousness,  and  tenderness, 
as  we  had  never  seen  it  before.  It  brought  quiet- 
ness, peace,  hope.  Though  wrapped  in  the  weeds 
of  widowhood,  or  mourning  over  some  overwhelm- 
ing loss,  or  disappointed  in  all  the  plans  and  pros- 
pects of  life,  there  came  a  triumphant  faith  which 
looked  beyond  the  night,  and  contemplated  the 
home-gathering,  the  enduring  riches,  and  the  un- 
speakable blessedness  of  an  endless  life.  The  pres- 
ent world,  with  its  mountains  of  toil,  and  valleys 
of  grief,  and  deserts  of  temptation,  all  darkened 
with  fear,  shrunk  into  an  insignificant  atom  in  the 
light  of  heaven,  the  affliction  bearing  no  compari- 
son to  the  weight  of  glory ;  the  trial  a  blessing ; 
the  pain  eternal  healing ;  the  sob  the  prelude  to  a 
ceaseless  song,  and  each  succeeding  death  a  higher 
hillock  leading  up  to  God  and  holiness  and  joy 
eternal. 

Blessed  Comforter  !    His  words  are  music.    The 
syllables  run  on  like  a  Sabbath  chime.     They  tell 


The  Comforter  159 

of  His  love,  which  passeth  knowledge ;  of  His 
faithfulness,  which  never  breaks;  of  sympathy 
deep  and  affectionate,  which  knows  no  bound. 
Well  did  Charles  Spurgeon  say,  *'Go  measure 
heaven  with  thy  span ;  go  weigh  the  mountains  in 
scales;  go  take  the  ocean's  depth  and  tell  each 
drop;  go  count  the  sand  by  the  sea's  wide  shore; 
and  when  thou  hast  accomplished  this,  then  canst 
thou  tell  how  the  Comforter  loveth  thee."  Then 
surely  we  need  not  be  uncomforted.  If  we  carry 
some  burden  of  temptation,  sorrow,  or  fear,  to- 
day ;  our  heads  bowed  down,  our  hearts  breaking, 
and  we  see  no  light  beyond,  above ;  no  blame  can 
attach  to  the  loving  Spirit.  It  may  be  our  hearts 
are  like  the  inn  at  Bethlehem ;  other  guests  fill  them, 
and  there  remains  no  room  for  the  visitor  from 
heaven.  O !  let  us  turn  our  enemies  out,  and 
open  wide  the  door  that  the  Comforter  may  come 
in.  So  shall  we  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  He  shall  abide  with  us  forever,  the  fullness  of 
His  presence  enhancing  the  joy  of  our  entrance  into 
heaven,  where  we  shall  see  Christ,  our  soul's  be- 
loved, concerning  whom  the  Comforter  had  spoken 
many  a  sweet  and  helpful  word  along  the  way,  and 
although  we  shall  rejoice  in  the  presence  of  Him 
who  saved  us  by  His  blood,  we  shall  still  want  the 
Spirit  who  told  us  about  Him,  led  us  to  Him, 
made  us  like  unto^Him,  unfolded  His  Word,  in- 
terpreted His  ways,  revealed  His  glory,  to  abide 
with  us  forever ;  and  so  the  triune  God  shall  be 


160  Christ's    Valediclory 

the  object  of  our  worship,  our  love,  and  our  rap- 
turous joy,  world  without  end. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  ere  the  impression  of  the 
truth  has  faded  from  our  minds,  let  us  kneel  to- 
gether and  pray  that  we  may  abide  under  its  in- 
fluence forever;  thanking  God  for  the  presence 
and  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  divine  Comforter : 

O  Thou  who  art  the  ever-living  God,  enthroned 
in  glory ;  Thy  kingdom  ruling  all  the  worlds,  and 
governing  all  creatures ;  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Spirit,  we  bring  the  offerings  of  our  gratitude  and 
love,  and  lay  them  at  Thy  feet.  We  rejoice  to- 
day, and  shall  rejoice  forever,  that  God  the  Father 
so  loved  the  world  as  to  provide  a  ransom  for  us ; 
that  God  the  Son  bore  our  sins  on  the  cross  and 
took  them  away  forever ;  and  that  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  been  our  teacher,  advocate,  comforter, 
and  unfailing  helper ;  enlarging  our  vision  of  the 
Eternal  Father,  taking  day  by  day  of  the  things  of 
Christ  and  showing  them  unto  us,  and  working  in 
hearts  that  faith  which  is  the  substance  of  things 
hoped  for,  and  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen. 

Help  us  ever  to  cherish  the  presence  of  this  di- 
vine teacher ;  to  yield  to  His  holy  influence,  and 
to  follow  Him  whithersoever  He  leads ;  never  will- 
ingly grieving  Him  by  sin,  either  in  thought,  word 
or  deed.  Then  shall  the  days  brighten  as  we  go 
on ;  we  shall  grow  in  likeness  *to  Christ ;  we  shall 
help  extend  a  knowledge  of  Him  far  and  wide ; 


The  Comforter  161 

and,  leaving  behind  us  a  record  that  shall  glorify 
Thy  grace,  we  shall  go  to  praise  Thee  where  the 
remembrance  of  the  earthy  life,  our  fall  and  our 
recovery,  our  temptations  and  our  triumph,  our 
sorrows  and  their  fruits,  shall  declare  the  praise  of 
God  who  rescued  us  from  our  sad  undoing,  over- 
ruled all  evil  to  our  good,  and,  by  His  Spirit,  made 
us  conquerors,  and  more  than  conquerors,  through 
Christ  our  Lord.  The  salvation  shall  be  ours,  and 
the  glory  Thine,  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


THE  COMFORTER  (Continued) 


/  will  not  leave  you  comfortless ;  I  will  come  to  you. — 
John  xiv.  i8. 

The  Spirit^  in  comforting  His  people,  does  not  always  re- 
move the  cause  of  grief  But  He  draws  happiness  out  ofun- 
happiness.  He  makes  the  subject  of  our  tears  the  element  of 
our  smiles.  He  does  not  take  away  the  cloud,  but  He  makes 
a  rainbow  of  the  shower. — G.  S.  Bowes. 


THE  COMFORTER 

The  careful  reader  of  the  Bible  cannot  fail  to  ob- 
serve that  one  of  its  chief  designs  is  the  comforting 
of  Christians.  God's  tried  ones  are  the  objects  of 
His  affectionate  solicitude  and  unfailing  sympathy. 
''  He  knoweth  our  frame,  He  remembereth  that  we 
are  dust."  He  meets  us  with  words  of  cheer  ;  and, 
to  those  appointed  to  lead  the  flock.  He  often  re- 
peats the  pleasant  direction — "  Comfort  ye,  com- 
fort ye  My  people.  Speak  ye  comfortably  to  Jeru- 
salem." 

He  exhorts  us  to  deal  gently  with  the  erring,  to 
help  the  weary  bear  their  burdens,  to  comfort  the 
feeble-minded.  When  the  day  grows  dark  about 
us,  and  bereavements  are  repeated,  He  speaks  to 
us  of  the  resurrection  morning  Avhich  is  not  far  dis- 
tant, and  of  the  land  beyond  it,  never  darkened  by 
a  cloud  ;  saying,  ''  Comfort  one  another  with  these 
words." 

Especially  did  Jesus  enter  with  a  tender  sym- 
pathy into  all  the  sorrows  of  His  immediate  dis- 
ciples. That  He  might  do  this  and  assure  them  of 
His  nearness  to  them,  he  had  taken  their  nature, 
and  wrapped  it  around  His  paternal  divinity. 
165 


166  Christ's   Valedictory 

While  He  was  a  Saviour  from  sin,  He  was  also  a 
brother  born  for  adversity. 

The  prospect  of  His  departure  brought  sadness 
to  His  friends.  He  had  been  everything  to  them. 
To  Him  they  had  gone  with  all  their  anxious  ques- 
tionings, sorrows,  fears.  He  had  taught  them  with 
singular  patience.  He  had  comforted  them  with  a 
more  than  mother's  gentleness.  He  had  protected 
them  from  the  dangers  of  the  way.  Bethany  and 
Nain,  the  wilderness  beyond  Jordan,  and  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  had  witnessed  His  wonderful  works; 
and  never  could  His  disciples  show  forth  their  ob- 
ligations to  Him  who  had  confirmed  their  faith, 
raised  their  dead,  and  calmed  for  them  the  stormy 
sea.  And  now,  how  shall  they  live  without  Him  ? 
They  cannot  forecast  the  future  and  tell  just  what 
of  sorrow  is  before  them.  There  is  a  mystery 
about  the  hour  that  must  await  a  solution  on  some 
other  day.  But  they  know  some  great  trial  is  com- 
ing on  ;  and  that,  in  some  way,  their  present  rela- 
tions to  Jesus  will  soon  terminate.  Hence  they  are 
sad.  The  Saviour  seeks  to  comfort  them.  There  is 
a  *'  needs-be  "  for  this  trial.  It  will  issue  in  good  to 
them,  and  in  glory  to  their  Lord.  But  though  He 
must  go  away.  He  will  not  leave  them  comfortless. 
He  will  provide  for  them  in  His  absence,  and  that 
absence  shall  not  be  long.      ''  I  will  come  to  you." 

The  word  here  rendered  comfortless  is  orphanous, 
in  the  original;  whence  our  word  orphans.  "I 
will  not  leave  you  orphans;  fatherless."     A  sad 


The   Comforter  16Y 

orphanage  was  coming  to  Him.  All  alone  He  must 
pass  through  death  for  them.  But  His  infinite  love 
will  not  permit  them  to  suffer  what  He  is  ready  to 
experience  for  their  sakes.  His  sacred  person 
divides  the  waves  of  sorrow,  and  they  are  sheltered 
from  the  agony  which  spends  its  force  on  Him.  "  I 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  I  will  come  to 
you." 

By  a  comforter  is  meant  one  who  stands  by  an- 
other. It  well  represents  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  or 
Paraclete.  He  is  at  our  side.  He  comforts  us 
with  some  sweet  promise  our  Saviour  left  us,  or 
some  revelation  to  us  of  the  tenderness,  sympathy 
and  power  of  Jesus,  which  makes  us  strong  to  bear. 
*'As  the  gardener,  as  he  walks  round  his  beds, 
sees  what  trees  are  weak,  and  gives  his  vines  and 
other  trees  the  support  they  need ;  or  as  the  Per- 
sian father,  in  teaching  his  children  the  use  of  the 
bow,  puts  his  strong  hand  on  the  child's  weak 
hand  ;  so  shall  the  Holy  Spirit  assist  our  weakness. 
He  takes  hold  of  the  burden  with  us,  which  we  are 
unable  to  lift,  much  less  to  carry  ourselves,  and 
makes  His  strength  manifest  in  our  weakness." 
Blessed  Comforter  !  How  much  we  need  His  kind 
offices  !     How  thankful  we  should  be  for  them  ! 

I.  Notice  a  few  particulars.  In  seasons  of 
temptation  the  Holy  Spirit  comforts  us. 

No  one  ever  reached  heaven  who  did  not  pass 
through  many  and  sore  temptations  on  the  way 
thither.     There  are  deserts  of  trial  and  valleys  of 


168  Christ's   Valedictory 

humiliation  between  us  and  the  better  country. 
Temptations  disturb  our  peace  and  awaken  anx- 
ious fears.  We  feel  the  pressure  of  a  strong  cur- 
rent which  threatens  to  sweep  us  away.  Our  feet 
have  well-nigh  slipped.  Just  here  others  have 
fallen.  See  the  wrecks  of  cherished  hopes  along 
the  shore  !  And  what,  as  concerns  ourselves,  shall 
the  issue  be  ?  May  not  sin,  shame,  and  sorrow  be 
near  ?  Shall  the  grace  of  Christ  be  magnified  and 
our  faith  strengthened  ;  or  shall  this  be  the  record  : 
an  accursing  conscience,  a  wounded  spirit,  a  lost 
reputation,  and  a  dishonored  religion?  Ah  !  my 
beloved,  we  need  a  mighty  helper  at  such  a  time  as 
this.  We  have  one.  Jesus  keeps  His  royal  word. 
When  we  are  in  heaviness  through  manifold  tempta- 
tions, the  Comforter  is  near.  He  speaks  to  us  of 
Christ,  and  bids  us  trust  Him  always.  He  says, 
*<  Your  Saviour  passed  this  way  before  you.  Forty 
days  He  suffered  in  this  desert  through  which  you 
are  now  going.  He  is  touched  with  a  feeling  of 
your  infirmities.  This  dark  hour  promises  spiritual 
good.  From  this  conflict  you  shall  go  up  to  better 
experiences,  and  anticipate  the  rest  that  remaineth 
for  the  people  of  God.  You  are  come  hither  that 
you  might  better  know  your  own  heart,  and  going 
down  into  these  depths  of  suffering,  like  men  in  Al- 
pine valleys  who  see  the  glorious  stars  by  day,  that 
you  might  get  new  glimpses  of  the  faithfulness, 
sympathy  and  saving  power  of  Christ.  Then  He 
leads  us  on  to  the  sheltering  rock  which  is  higher 


The   Comforter  169 

than  we,  gently  repeating  along  the  way  words  our 
Saviour  uttered  ;  "Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled, 
neither  let  it  be  afraid." 

2.  But  perhaps  we  have  yielded  to  j-Zw.  AVemay 
have  closed  our  ears  against  the  Spirit's  call,  and 
turned  away  from  His  protecting  grace.  Thus  did 
David;  and  spiritual  night  gathered  about  him. 
Thus  did  Peter;  and  the  memory  of  it  well-nigh 
broke  his  heart.  If  we  sin  we  shall  suffer.  This 
law  is  not  abrogated,  even  for  the  Christian.  They 
that  observe  lying  vanities  forsake  their  own  mercies. 
But  shall  any  soul,  for  whom  Christ  died,  perish  ? 
Shall  we  who  have  wandered,  penitent  now,  be 
swallowed  up  with  overmuch  sorrow  ?  Not  so :  "1 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless." 

Even  now  the  Holy  Spirit,  loving  and  gentle,  is 
near.  He  points  to  the  cross.  He  speaks  of 
the  power  of  Jesus'  blood,  puts  this  prayer  in  our 
heart,  *' Pardon  mine  iniquity,  for  it  is  great,"  and 
then  conducts  us  to  the  Saviour's  feet.  Now  we 
see  the  prints  of  the  nails  ;  we  are  reminded  of 
Calvary;  and  from  the  cross  we  draw  an  argu- 
ment for  faith  which  no  sophistry  of  the  Adversary 
can  break.  ''If  when  we  were  enemies  we  were 
reconciled  to  God  by  the  death  of  His  Son,  how 
much  more  shall  we  be  saved  by  His  life  ?  "  Even 
so.  The  compassion  of  Jesus  guides  us,  and  His 
strength  bears  us  up.  He  says,  just  as  we  might 
expect  Him  to  say— "Thy  sins  are  forgiven  thee, 
go  in  peace."     Then,  as  we  look  upon  Him  whom 


170  Christ's   Valedictory 

we  had  pierced,  we  mourn.  But  there  is  joy  in 
our  sorrow,  a  sweetness  in  our  tears,  and  the  mem- 
ory of  that  hour  shall  never  die. 

^'In  my  dream,"  said  a  burdened  one,  "I 
saw  a  mountain,  steep  and  high,  and  it  shut  out 
the  light  of  the  morning.  I  attempted  to  climb  its 
precipitous  sides  but  could  not,  and  around  it  I 
saw  no  way.  I  sat  down  and  wept.  Soon  I  saw  a 
drop  of  blood  fall  upon  that  mountain,  and  in  a 
moment  it  disappeared.  That  mountain  was  my 
sins,  and  that  drop  which  fell  upon  it  was  one  drop 
of  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  by  which  all  my 
guilt  was  removed." 

3.  Then,  in  all  our  afflictions  the  Holy  Spirit 
comforts  believers.  The  Captain  of  our  Salvation 
was  made  perfect  through  suffering.  So  must  we 
be.  Trials  come  to  us  in  many  forms.  Health  is 
taken  away.  Fond  hopes  are  disappointed. 
Cherished  plans  are  defeated.  Friends  neglect 
and  leave  us.  Dear  ones  go  down  to  the  grave. 
There  is  no  life  into  which  the  rain  does  not  fall ; 
and, 

«*  There  is  no  union  here  of  hearts 
That  finds  not  here  an  end." 

Now  we  need  the  Comforter,  and  He  is  at  our 
side.  ''There  is  a  needs-be  for  this  sorrow."  He 
says,  ''It  is  appointed  for  your  good."  Do  not 
doubt  your  Saviour's  love.     Even  this  is  an  evi- 


The   Comforter  171 

dence  of  it,  for  whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  chas- 
teneth.  Remember  how  He  said,  ''In  this  world 
ye  shall  have  tribulation."  He  told  you  all  this 
before.  You  are  weary,  lonely  and  sad.  But  why 
so  much  discouraged  because  of  the  way?  The 
Saviour  leads  you,  and  the  end  is  peace.  Be  pa- 
tient; you  shall  praise  your  Lord  for  each  step, 
when  the  journey  is  ended. 

Observe  that  the  Holy  Spirit  makes  no  new  reve- 
lation ;  but  brings  old  truths  to  mind,  and  helps  us 
compass  their  meaning.  Hence  Jesus  says,  "He 
will  guide  you  into  all  truth.  He  shall  take  of 
Mine,  and  shall  shew  it  unto  you."  *'He  shall 
teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your 
remembrance  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you." 
When  we  search  the  Scriptures,  which  testify  of 
Christ,  He  opens  our  eyes  that  we  may  discover 
their  treasures,  and  learn  much  of  their  meaning. 
Hence  it  is  that  a  single  text  may  unfold  itself  in  a 
beauty  and  fullness  that  will  fill  and  feed  our  souls. 
Well  did  the  royal  singer  say,  How  sweet  are  the 
words  "Thy  word  is  sweet  unto  my  taste;  yea 
sweeter  than  honey  to  my  mouth." 

Then,  too,  in  the  House  of  God,  the  Holy  Spirit 
comforts  us  through  the  truth.  The  prayers  of- 
fered, the  psalms  sung,  the  messages  delivered, 
lead  us  nearer  Christ,  under  the  shadow  of  His 
wing.  To  tempted,  wounded,  afflicted  believers, 
the  house  of  God  has  often  been  the  gate  of  heaven. 
Glory  has  come   down   and   crowned   the   mercy 


172  Christ's   Valedictory 

seat ;  and  a  voice,  now  grown  familiar,  has  said, 
*'  Be  of  good  cheer.     I  am  thy  salvation." 

Christian  conversation  is  also  employed  by  the 
Spirit  as  a  means  of  comfort.  In  ancient  times 
they  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often  one  to  an- 
other. It  was  when  the  two  disciples  on  the  way 
to  Emmaus  talked  of  Jesus,  that  the  Lord  walked 
with  them,  and  then  revealed  Himself  in  the 
breaking  of  bread.  Why  do  we  not  oftener  speak 
to  one  another  of  our  trials,  conflicts,  and  fears; 
of  our  Lord  and  His  heaven  ? 

But  notice,  it  is  still  the  truth,  leading  to  Jesus ; 
truth  spoken  by  Him;  that  is  employed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  for  our  comfort.  Every  message  He 
utters  is  fragrant  with  the  name  of  Christ. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thought  that  the  work  of  this 
divine  helper  is  thus  associated  with  our  Lord. 
He  maintains  our  loving  association  with  Him. 
We  could  not  transfer  our  affections  to  any  other. 
The  Comforter  does  not  ask  it.  He  is  continually 
exalting  Christ ;  setting  forth  the  beauty  of  His 
person,  and  the  riches  of  His  grace ;  enlarging  our 
hearts  with  the  sweetest  affections  for  our  departed 
Lord.     We  love  Him  for  that. 

A  traveller  in  a  foreign  land  met  a  friend  of  ear- 
lier days;  and,  whether  ghding  in  their  gondola 
along  the  Grand  Canal,  or  walking  the  galleries  of 
the  Ducal  Palace,  or  sitting  under  the  high  arches 
of  San  Marco,  they  talked  together  of  loved  ones 
beyond  the  seas,  almost  unconscious  of  the  nat- 


The  Comforter  173 

ural  beauty  and  historic  interest  around  them,  in 
the  revival  of  cherished  memories,  and  mental 
pictures  of  home.  So  it  is  pleasant  as  we  walk 
along  the  weary  paths  of  life,  or  through  its  beau- 
tiful gardens,  to  hear  the  Spirit's  voice  setting  forth 
the  excellencies  of  our  Beloved ;  telling  of  His  love 
to  us,  and  enkindling  our  love  to  Him. 

We  may  now  know  more  of  Jesus  than  His  im- 
mediate disciples  knew;  more  than  if  He  had 
stayed  with  us  always,  and  the  Comforter  had  not 
come.  We  would  rejoice  to  see  His  face.  We 
mourn  His  absence.  But  He  knew  what  was  best 
for  us,  and  how  our  greatest  good  could  be  se- 
cured. Hence,  He  said,  *<It  is  expedient  for  you 
that  I  should  go  away."  Yet  He  only  went  that 
He  might  come.  He  is  now  here,  spiritually. 
This  glorious  coming  shall  continue  till  He  come. 
When  we  shall  have  gone  through  the  needed  dis- 
cipline, and  learned  each  needful  lesson,  and 
reached  the  spiritual  stature  He  would  have  us  at- 
tain, then  He  shall  appear,  and  we  shall  see  Him 
as  He  is. 

The  stranger  who  visits  one  of  the  celebrated 
Art  Galleries  of  Paris,  is  first  shown  into  an  apart- 
ment in  which  are  works  of  the  least  merit.  From 
that  he  passes  into  a  second,  where  are  the  paint- 
ings of  greater  excellence.  And  thus  he  advances 
from  one  room  to  another  of  the  great  palace,  until 
the  last  is  reached,  in  which  he  looks  with  deep 
emotions  on  the  noblest  productions  of  human  art. 


174  Christ's    Valedictory 

Thus  believers  pass  from  one  stage  of  knowledge  to 
another,  obtaining  enlarged  and  more  precious 
views  of  Christ ;  until,  at  length,  the  splendors  of 
the  beatific  vision  burst  upon  them,  and  the 
glorious  Lord  is  come. 

The  coming  of  Christ  is  promised  in  the  text. 
Provision  is  made  for  our  need  during  His  absence. 
"  I  will  not  leave  you  comfortless;  "  and  then  He 
adds,  ''I  will  come  to  you." 

There  is  here  a  reference  to  His  manifestation  of 
Himself  after  His  resurrection,  and  also  to  His 
spiritual  coming,  through  the  Comforter,  who 
abides  with  the  church.  But  in  addition  to  this, 
some  think  there  is  an  intimation  of  His  bodily  re- 
turn. As  we  stand  on  the  mount  called  Olivet, 
and  the  cloud  conceals  our  ascending  Lord,  there 
stand  beside  us  men  in  white  apparel ;  and  they 
say,  "  This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you 
into  heaven,  shall  come  again  in  like  manner  as  ye 
have  seen  Him  go  in  heaven." 

The  return  of  Christ  is  certainly  the  great  event 
of  the  future.  He  shall  come  in  the  clouds,  and 
every  eye  shall  see  Him.  The  early  church  looked 
for  this  blessed  hope.  Believers  along  all  the 
centuries  since,  have  been  listening  for  the  voice  of 
their  Beloved,  and  watching  for  His  glorious  ap- 
pearing. 

It  may  be  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  maintain 
the  attitude  of  expectancy ;  leaving  the  full  inter- 
pretation of  prophecy  to  Him  who  gave  it,  not  at- 


The  Comforter  175 

tempting  to  set  in  order  the  events  of  the  future,  or 
determining  questions  respecting  the  millennial 
period  about  which  believers  differ,  but  so  adjust- 
ing our  spiritual  horoscope  that  we  may  see,  lifted 
above  all  the  intervening  hills,  that  mountain  sum- 
mit of  prophecy,  the  coming  of  our  Lord.  We 
live  too  much  in  the  present,  or  dwell  too  much  on 
the  past.  We  make  much,  as  is  right,  of  Calvary 
and  the  cross.  We  sing  in  plaintive  strains  of  the 
dying  of  our  Lord,  and  His  burial  in  Joseph's 
tomb.  This  retrospection  may  give  too  much  sad- 
ness to  our  piety.  Surely  the  Christian  should 
look  onward.  The  Apostles  wrote  joyfully  of  the 
Lord's  coming.  They  stood  on  the  hill-tops  and 
looked  toward  the  East.  AVith  the  spirit  of  the 
morning  in  their  hearts,  they  waited  for  the  eternal 
day.  They  exhorted  the  Church  to  be  ready,  not 
for  death ;  but  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man. 
The  Saviour  Himself,  before  the  last  page  of  Revela- 
tion was  written,  standing  on  the  margin  of  the 
heavenly  life  as  it  looks  toward  a  world  redeemed, 
said  "Surely  I  come  quickly."  If  that  day  be 
near,  may  we  be  prepared  to  respond,  ''  Even  so, 
come  Lord  Jesus." 


OUR  LIFE  THE  FRUIT  OF  CHRIST'S  LIFE 


Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also. — John  xiv.  19. 

Jesus  lives  I  our  hearts  know  well 

Naught  from  us  His  love  shall  sever  ; 

Life,  nor  death,  nor  powers  of  hell 
Tear  us  from  His  keeping  ever. 
Alleluia! — Gellert. 


XI 
OUR  LIFE  THE  FRUIT  OF  CHRIST'S  LIFE 

If  the  disciples  had  fully  apprehended  the  fact 
that  Christ's  death  was  near  at  hand,  they  would 
have  been  unable  to  reconcile  with  it  that  remark- 
able statement  in  His  farewell  address,  "Because  I 
live,  ye  shall  live  also."  No  one  on  the  way  to 
execution,  only  a  few  hours  at  most  intervening, 
would  speak  of  his  continued  life  as  a  condition  of 
benefit  to  others.  His  death  might  support  some 
great  principle  in  natural  or  revealed  truth,  having 
a  practical  relation  to  Christian  or  civic  life,  which 
might  be  a  benediction  to  survivors,  and  even  to 
generations  following.  This  was  true  of  the  burn- 
ing of  John  Huss  at  Constance,  of  the  drowning  of 
Margaret  Wilson  in  Solway  Firth,  and  of  the  death 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus  on  the  battlefield  of  Lutzen. 
But  it  would  be  the  surrender  of  life,  not  life  itself, 
that  would  be  emphasized,  in  instances  such  as 
these. 

We  have  the  interpretation  of  Christ's  paradox- 
ical statement,  in  His  resurrection,  and  ascension  to 
the  Father.  It  was  a  life  into  which  His  death  read 
as  a  brief  parenthesis,  and  the  death  itself  both 
crowned  Him  with  glory,  and  brought  salvation  to 
179 


180  Christ's    Valedictory 

men.  If  the  disciples  had  been  endowed  with  a 
clear  soul-vision,  they  would  have  seen  the  light  of 
the  Easter  Sabbath  shining  on  the  face  of  their 
Lord  j  and  would  have  looked  thence  into  the  open 
heaven  through  which  the  conqueror  passed.  Only 
thus  can  we  arrive  at  the  meaning  of  that  great 
word  which  has  been  a  jubilant  choral  in  every  fol- 
lowed age  :   "  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 

Christ  does  not  intend  by  these  words  that  the 
perpetuation  of  natural  life,  in  respect  to  any,  was 
dependent  on  his  mediatorial  work.  This  might 
seem  to  be  a  logical  inference;  and,  accepted  as 
such,  would  appear  to  limit  future  existence  to  be- 
lievers, making  annihilation  the  inevitable  result  of 
natural  law  for  all  who  rejected  Christ's  atonement. 

Such  a  conclusion  is  not  warranted  either  by  any 
logical  process  of  reasoning,  or  by  the  Word  of 
God.  The  old  philosophies  insisted  that  the  soul 
was  a  unit,  therefore  immortal,  since  only  complex 
existence  is  perishable.  It  may  not  be  possible  to 
establish  the  premise  that  the  soul  is  a  unit ;  then 
the  conclusion  which  rests  solely  upon  it  is  uncer- 
tain. But  it  may  be  fairly  claimed  that  whatever 
is  immaterial  is  indestructible,  and  since  the  soul  is 
immaterial,  it  is,  therefore,  immortal.  Here,  the 
ground  for  believing  that  the  soul  is  immaterial,  is 
scriptural  and  reasonable.  Man,  as  to  his  soul,  was 
created  after  the  image  of  God,  in  knowledge, 
righteousness  and  holiness;  and  since  God  is  a 
spirit,  the  soul  must  be  spirit,  therefore  immaterial. 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  181 

Moreover,  thought  is  a  function  of  spirit.  Matter 
cannot  think.  The  hand  may  seem  endowed  with 
intelhgence  as  it  writes  the  alphabet  or  paints  the 
canvas.  But  we  know  that  it  is  only  the  instru- 
ment of  the  immaterial  existence  behind  it,  of 
which  alone  immateriality  can  be  predicated. 

The  soul  is  also  independent  of  material  exist- 
ence. What  is  true  of  God,  who  is  an  absolute 
Spirit,  hence  without  bodily  parts;  is  true  of  the 
disembodied  soul.  If  we  were  prepared  to  believe 
that  the  soul,  after  death,  is  clothed  upon  with  a 
spiritual  body,  recognizable  by  others  who  have  left 
their  natural  bodies,  yet  that  would  not  be  to  assent 
to  the  theory  of  some,  that  the  soul  has  no  exist- 
ence out  of  the  natural  body,  and  that,  if  not 
clothed  in  a  spiritual  body,  it  can  only  lie  in  un- 
conscious sleep  until  the  resurrection.  Man,  by 
the  original  constitution  of  his  nature,  is  immortal. 
In  joy  or  in  woe,  his  years  shall  run  parallel  with 
the  years  of  the  Eternal  God. 

In  all  ages  and  in  every  land  men  have  believed 
in  immortality.  They  may  have  wavered  in  their 
belief,  but  they  have  never  relinquished  it.  The 
ever-enlarging  capacity  of  the  soul ;  a  constant  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  attainments  of  the  present; 
the  unequal  distribution  of  good  and  evil  in  this 
life ;  an  insatiable  longing  to  live  beyond  death ; 
the  impression  of  some  mysterious,  invisible  source 
of  being,  concerning  whom  they  would  know 
more,  and,  in  some  form  of  manifestation  of  Him- 


182  Christ's    Valedictory 

self,  behold  hereafter ;  together  with  an  instinct  of 
futurity  which  no  denial  can  destroy  and  no 
sophistry  dismiss;  all  these  answer  the  soul's  cry 
with  the  promise  of  unending  existence. 

All  the  religions  of  the  world,  differing  as  to  es- 
sential features  and  outward  form,  are  yet  agreed 
in  a  belief  of  immortality,  and  the  very  doubts 
of  men  which  they  endeavor  to  dismiss,  with  the 
mysteries  of  life  they  continually  seek  to  solve,  are 
an  argument  for  an  existence  that  might,  in  some 
way,  be  lifted  out  of  the  shadows  up  into  eternal 
light. 

Now  when  Jesus  says,  ''Because  I  live  ye  shall 
live  also,"  He  puts  Himself  in  line  with  the  past. 
A  teacher  come  from  God,  He  declares  the  cer- 
tainty of  futurity,  and  suggests  the  possibility  of 
elevating  our  present  life  to  greater  heights,  of  en- 
riching it  with  heavenly  gifts,  and  of  ultimately 
establishing  the  soul  in  holiness  and  joy,  where 
every  form  of  evil  is  forever  unknown.  Jesus  says, 
"I  have  come  that  they  might  have  life,  and  that 
they  might  have  it  more  abundantly :  ' '  that  they 
might  be  born  again ;  thus  entering  upon  the  way 
to  a  perfected  life  in  the  world  to  come,  and  enjoy- 
ing foretastes  of  heaven  whilst  advancing  toward  it. 

Let  us  dwell  a  little  on  these  and  other  particu- 
lars. The  life  of  faith  is  very  comprehensive.  It 
extends  to  all  that  makes  up  the  complex  being  of 
the  present. 

I.     Christ's  life  secures  to  believers  the  highest 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  183 

form  of  life.  Mere  physical  being  has  its  grades 
and  measures  of  continuance.  Some  seem  to  live 
much  as  the  lower  animals  live.  They  possess  little 
more  than  mere  existence.  There  are  others  who 
cultivate  the  intellectual  life,  and  thereby  go  up  in 
the  scale  of  being.  They  excel  in  literature  and 
science.  They  are  the  authors  and  writers  of  the 
age  in  which  they  live ;  and  push  far  on  the  lines 
of  human  progress.  The  life  of  Christ  within  us, 
touches  both  the  physical  and  intellectual  life  and 
embraces  what  is  infinitely  higher.  It  protects 
from  the  violation  of  the  laws  of  health,  from  the 
waste  of  energy  in  sinful  indulgence ;  secures  the 
highest  forms  of  physical  existence,  and  promises 
length  of  days.  It  enlarges  the  intellect,  aids  its 
search  for  truth,  gives  healthfulness  to  all  it  pro- 
duces, and,  other  things  being  equal,  the  Christian 
will  attain  to  greater  intellectual  heights  than  an 
unbeliever. 

The  life  of  Christ  in  the  soul  does  not  lead  to 
asceticism ;  does  not  separate  us  from  the  pursuits 
and  enjoyments  of  the  present;  but  subordinates 
all  these  to  the  higher  interests  of  the  soul,  and, 
as  far  as  possible,  makes  them  subserve  the  same. 

John  Ruskin  tells  us  of  a  visit  he  made  to  a  mon- 
astery in  which  the  window  of  each  cell  looked 
across  an  unattractive  court  into  the  opposite  cell,  or 
up  into  the  sky  where  the  clouds  drifted  by  day  and 
the  stars  shone  by  night.  When  he  asked  why  the 
opening  of  each  cell  had  not  been  made  in  the 


184  Christ's    Valedictory 

outer  wall  that  it  might  have  commanded  a  view  of 
the  majestic  Alps,  at  whose  feet  lay  gardens  of  ex- 
quisite beauty,  he  received  the  answer,  *'  We  did 
not  come  here  to  look  at  mountains." 

This  was  a  right  principle  carried  to  an  unwar- 
ranted extreme.  Our  Lord  intends  that  we  shall 
enjoy  whatever  is  beautiful  in  nature,  and  pleasant 
in  social  life,  within  the  limits  of  sobriety  and  duty. 
Yet  there  is  much  to  admire  in  the  heroism  which 
consents  to  be  shut  in  from  whatever  is  worldly, 
that  the  soul  may  be  occupied  with  the  life  above. 
Infinitely  better  to  be  such  a  monk  as  Bernard, 
than  a  libertine  like  Gardiner ;  a  Thomas  a  Kempis, 
rather  than  a  cultured,  dissolute,  selfish  courtier 
like  Voltaire. 

But  while  there  are  many  sources  of  pleasure  in 
the  natural  life  which,  in  moderation,  may  be  en- 
joyed ;  still  there  is  something  infinitely  better.  It 
is  to  have  our  life  hid  with  Christ  in  God.  This 
lifts  the  earthly  existence  up  into  the  heavenly ;  the 
human  into  the  embrace  of  the  divine.  It  confers 
the  greatest  dignity  of  which  our  nature  is  capable. 
Mere  worldly  distinctions  are  small,  and  so  appear, 
when  viewed  from  the  heights  of  a  spiritual  life ; 
as,  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Hermon,  the  hills  sink 
to  a  level  with  the  plains  of  Galilee. 

We  cannot  measure  the  distance  which  separates 
the  life  Christ  gives,  from  that  which  is  carnal  and 
worldly,  either  as  to  its  nature  or  the  good  it  se- 
cures.    It  is  the  only  life  in  harmony  with  the  pos- 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  185 

sibilities  of  an  immortal  being;  and  is  both  a 
pledge  and  foretaste  of  eternal  blessedness  and 
honor.  It  partakes  of  Christ's  excellence,  partici- 
pates in  His  joy,  and  shares  His  glory.  It  identi- 
fies us  with  His  kingdom,  with  all  the  triumphs  of 
His  grace,  with  every  extension  of  His  spiritual  pos- 
sessions, and  with  the  latter-day  splendors  of  His 
reign ;  when  to  Him  every  knee  shall  bow,  and  all 
nations  crown  Him  their  own  and  only  King. 
Christ  and  believers  are  one. 

The  life  we  live  in  Christ  is  one  of  progressive 
holiness.  It  differs  from  Christ's  life,  not  in  its  na- 
ture, but  in  measure  only ;  and  is  ever  advancing 
toward  perfection.  It  is  habitually  putting  on 
more  of  our  Saviour's  beauty  ;  enlarging  its  fellow- 
ship with  Him,  in  every  attribute  of  its  existence ; 
coming  into  increasing  harmony  with  Him  whose 
perfect  likeness  we  shall  ultimately  bear.  This  is 
the  only  life  that  is  real,  satisfying,  and  consistent 
both  with  the  will  of  God  and  our  highest  good. 

2.  The  life  given  by  Christ  is  supported  by 
Him.  In  Him  we  live ;  without  Him  we  would 
die.  It  is  well  to  feel  our  dependence  on  Christ. 
In  us  there  dwells  no  inherent  strength.  We  have 
no  power  to  support  or  unfold  any  germ  of  spiritual 
life  within  us.  We  are  unable,  in  ourselves,  to  re- 
sist temptation,  to  conquer  our  spiritual  foes,  to 
mount  up  to  God.  We  need  the  life  of  Christ  to 
uphold  us  in  all  our  goings ;  to  shield  us  from  every 
evil  'j  to  lead  us  on  to  greater  strength ;  and  to  per- 


186  Christ's   Valedictory 

feet  the  life  which  grace  has  began.  Is  this  de- 
pendence a  ground  for  fear?  Shall  we  say  with 
David,  when  Saul  sought  his  life  and  pursued 
him  into  the  wilderness,  We  shall  one  day  fall 
by  the  hands  of  our  enemies.  Ah,  no !  We  are 
indeed,  weak  and  sinful.  The  moral  atmosphere 
about  us  breeds  pestilence  and  plague.  Destruc- 
tion is  ever  on  our  path.  But  we  recall  the  words 
of  Jesus,  "Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 
His  life  is  pledged  to  support  ours.  The  life 
within  us  may  seem,  at  times,  to  wane,  and  be 
about  to  die.  We  cry  out  in  the  consciousness  of 
a  far  remove  from  God,  "O  that  I  knew  where 
I  might  find  Him."  Our  souls  are  stained,  our 
strength  broken,  our  joys  departed.  Still  hope  is 
not  dead.  Away  in  some  far-off  chamber  of  the 
soul  we  hear  a  voice  low  and  tender,  grown  familiar, 
saying,  "  In  a  little  wrath  I  hid  My  face  from  thee 
for  a  moment ;  but  with  everlasting  kindness  will  I 
have  mercy  on  thee. "  It  is  the  Lord  our  Redeemer 
who  speaks.  It  is  the  Good  Shepherd  who  brings 
home  His  own.  It  is  He  who  found  Lot  in  the 
mountain  cave  and  rescued  him  from  Satan's 
power ;  who  rebuked  David  in  love,  then  restored 
to  him  the  joys  of  his  salvation ;  who  met  Peter  on 
a  secluded  path,  drew  him  back  to  His  embrace, 
and  held  him  fast ;  who  left  the  ninety  and  nine, 
that  He  might  find  the  sheep  that  was  lost.  Long- 
suffering,  patient,  forgiving  Saviour  !  He  must  die 
before  we  can  perish.     But  He  is  alive  forevermore. 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  187 

The  vacant  sepulchre  bids  us  hope.  The  ascend- 
ing Christ ;  the  open  heaven  ;  the  voices  that  speak 
from  out  the  heavenly  state ;  the  abiding  conscious- 
ness of  a  divine  person  within  us ;  linking  us  to  the 
throne  of  God  ;  these  drive  away  our  fears.  Mo- 
ment by  moment,  in  devout  meditation,  in  trustful 
prayer,  even  in  unconscious  leaning  on  Christ's 
strength,  we  pursue  our  way ;  and  on  the  air  there 
seems  to  linger  the  words  spoken  in  the  Upper 
Chamber,  ''Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 
Christ's  life  gathers  about  us  the  influence  of 
divine  thoughts,  divine  realities,  divine  exist- 
ence. Through  the  truth,  illustrated  in  providence, 
confirmed  by  experience,  and  emphasized  by  His 
Spirit,  He  advances  us  in  spiritual  strength  and 
beauty,  making  us  increasingly  like  Himself ;  more 
gentle  and  loving ;  more  forgiving  and  kind  ;  more 
thoughtful  and  more  divine.  Let  His  name  be 
praised  ! 

3.  The  life  we  thus  live  is  perfected  in  heaven. 
When  we  shall  see  our  Lord,  we  shall  be  like  Him. 
Then  every  longing  of  our  souls  for  holiness,  rest, 
and  absolute  satisfaction,  shall  be  attained.  "  Now 
are  we  the  children  of  God ;  and,  if  children,  then 
heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ." 
Our  Lord  says  to  us  to-day,  in  the  midst  of  our  spir- 
itual struggle  and  strife,  "  To  him  that  overcometh 
I  will  grant  to  sit  with  Me  on  My  throne,  even  as  I 
also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  My  Father 
in  His  throne."     Of  all  that  is  embraced  in  this 


188  Christ's   Valedictory 

promise  we  cannot  tell.  We  have  some  earnests  of 
the  heavenly  life,  but  they  are  only  as  the  grey 
dawn  which  promises  the  glorious  noon. 

It  does  not  mean  that  we  shall  possess  the  at- 
tributes of  the  Godhead ;  that  Christ's  omnis- 
cience, omnipresence,  and  infinity  of  being  and 
glory  shall  be  ours.  Saints  can  never  be  invested 
with  the  prerogatives  which  belong  to  Christ  as  the 
self- existent,  eternal  God.  But  whatever  of  blessed- 
ness, honor,  and  power  characterizes  Christ's  glori- 
fied humanity,  shall  surely  be  ours.  We  shall 
sustain  to  Him  a  relation  above  that  of  the  angels. 
We  shall  wear  spiritual  bodies  like  His,  of  the  glory 
of  which,  three  of  the  disciples  received  an  intima- 
tion when  they  witnessed  His  transfiguration  on  the 
mount.  We  shall  live  that  incomprehensible  life 
which  our  Immanuel,  as  to  His  glorified  humanity 
now  lives,  having  returned  to  the  Father.  We 
shall  be  kings  and  priests  unto  God  forever. 

4.  There  is  involved  in  this,  the  resurrection 
of  the  body.  Christ  ascended  in  His  human 
form.  As  to  its  essence  no  element  of  His  earthly 
existence  was  eliminated  in  the  ascension.  We 
need  not  perplex  ourselves  as  to  what  is  necessary 
to  constitute  bodily  identity,  nor  what  shall  be  the 
attributes  of  the  resurrection  body.  It  is  enough 
to  know  that  all  who  sleep  in  Christ  shall  rise 
again,  and  be  clothed  upon  with  bodies  fashioned 
like  unto  His  glorious  body. 

We  do  not  esteem  it  a  thing  incredible  that  God 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  189 

should  raise  the  dead.  The  elements  that  enter 
into  the  body,  when  laid  in  the  grave,  may  be 
widely  scattered.  God  can  gather  them  if  neces- 
sary from  their  dispersion.  Martyrs  were  burned 
at  the  stake.  Their  visible  remains  were  but  a 
handful  of  dust.  Wyclif 's  bones  were  consumed, 
and  his  ashes  were  thrown  into  the  brook  near  by. 
The  Avon  bore  them  to  the  Severn,  and  the 
Severn  to  the  Sea.  But  God  will  care  for  the 
bodies  of  His  children,  and  all  who  die  in  Christ 
shall  rise  again. 

Jesus*  resurrection  is  a  prophecy  and  pledge  of 
ours.  He  rose  as  the  first-fruits  of  them  that 
sleep  ;  the  wave-sheaf  of  a  glorious  harvest.  As 
certainly  as  Christ  rose  from  the  dead,  so  certainly 
we  shall  rise  at  the  last  day.  The  glorification  of 
the  body  is  possible  with  God.  Often  He  makes 
the  unsightly  seed,  which  is  dropped  in  the  earth 
and  dies,  appear  again  in  a  flower  of  exquisite 
beauty,  in  form  and  color  and  life  the  admiration 
of  the  highest  intelligence,  as  it  is  the  glory  of  the 
field  and  the  pride  of  the  desert.  Surely  God,  out 
of  the  dust  of  His  humblest  child,  can  produce  a 
body  which  nhall  elicit  the  praise  of  angels,  and 
grace  the  throne  of  His  glory.  Just  how  this  will 
be  accomplished  none  of  us  can  tell.  It  does  not 
matter ;  we  can  leave  the  process  with  Him  who 
does  all  things  well;  and  our  thoughts  about  it 
shall  not  be  permitted  to  mar  His  work. 

The  resurrection  of  the  body  may  be  the  prom- 


190  Christ's    Valedictory 

inent  truth  Christ  intended  when  He  said,  ''Be- 
cause I  live  ye  shall  live  also."  With  the  setting 
of  another  sun,  a  sad  spectacle  of  death,  borne  in 
the  arms  of  His  friends.  He  shall  be  laid  in 
Joseph's  sepulchre.  But  the  bars  of  death  shall 
not  confine  Him  beyond  the  appointed  time.  He 
shall  rise  again,  and  walk  abroad,  and  the  dis- 
ciples shall  see  Him.  As  He  speaks,  His  thought 
has  gone  beyond  the  death  and  burial,  into  the  resur- 
rection life.  As  He  lives,  so  His  people  shall  live. 
The  world  around  shall  give  up  its  dead,  alike  the 
earth  and  the  sea.  Alaric's  grave  under  the  chan- 
nel of  the  Busento  shall  not  always  be  hidden ;  nor 
the  ocean  cavern  which  holds  Judson's  lonely  re- 
mains.    **  The  night  cometh  and  also  the  morning." 

Then,  too,  we  shall  recognize  the  resurrection 
bodies  of  our  departed  friends  ;  and  ours  shall  be 
known  and  identified  by  the  generations  following. 
The  Greeks  made  a  vain  attempt  to  restore  the 
Parthenon ;  but  God  can  rebuild  the  old  home  of 
the  soul,  and  the  resurrection  will  be  the  comple- 
ment of  redemption,  as  it  will  be  the  perfecting  of 
heavenly  joy. 

How  comforting,  from  every  point  of  view,  the 
word  of  Christ,  ''  Because  I  live  ye  shall  live  also." 
It  carries  everything  with  it.  It  soothes  our  sor- 
rows ;  quiets  our  unrest ;  supports  our  hope ;  in- 
terprets death;  and  opens  the  gates  of  heaven, 
that  we  may  look  in  and  anticipate  its  homefulness, 
its  glory,  and  its  unending  joy. 


Our  Life  the  Fruit  of  Christ's  Life  191 

Since  Jesus  lives,  we  have  nothing  to  fear. 
Come  what  may,  all  will  be  well.  If  we  but  give 
ourselves  wholly  to  Him,  He  will  make  our  every 
interest  His  constant  care.  Trials  may  come, 
hopes  may  be  disappointed,  friendships  may  fail. 
All  the  lights  of  the  present  world  may  go  out ; 
and  life  become  as  a  deserted  banquet-hall,  with  all 
but  we  departed.  But,  living  in  Christ,  every  event 
is  a  blessing.  No  real  ill  can  ever  befall  us.  The 
more  faith  is  tried  the  stronger  it  will  grow.  The 
more  we  are  chastened  the  more  Christlike  we  shall 
be.  Each  grave  shall  be  a  stepping-stone  to  higher 
and  better  things ;  every  plaintive  cadence, 
drowned  with  sobs,  shall  be  a  prelude  to  the  eternal 
song  j  and  all  the  storms  which  beat  on  us  here, 
shall  enhance  the  joy  of  that  life  which  storms 
never  disturb ;  which  sorrow  never  enters ;  where 
no  night  shall  ever  divide  the  happy,  eternal  day. 
Thus  interpreting  the  life  which  is  hid  in  Christ, 
we  may  cultivate  a  calm  resignation  which  shall 
lead  on  to  a  joyful  hope;  and  faith  shall  dwell 
above  the  clouds,  always  beholding  the  sun  by  day, 
and  the  glorious  stars  by  night. 


CHRIST  MANIFESTING  HIMSELF 


He  that  hath  My  commandments ^  and  keepeth  them,  he  it 
is  that  loveth  Me  :  and  he  that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of 
My  Father,  and  I  will  love  hifn,  and  will  manifest  Myself  to 
him.  Judas  saith  unto  Him,  not  Iscariot,  Lord,  how  is  it 
that  Thou  wilt  manifest  Thyself  unto  us,  and  not  uttto  the 
world  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  a  ffian  love 
Me,  he  will  keep  My  words  :  and  My  Father  will  love  him, 
and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him. 
He  that  loveth  Me  not  keepeth  not  My  sayings :  and  the 
word  which  ye  hear  is  not  Mine,  but  the  Father^ s  which  sent 
me. — John  xiv.  21-24. 

The  discourse  of  the  naturalist  on  his  experiments,  of  the 
scholar  on  his  books,  of  the  mathematician  who  is  talking 
with  raptures  on  the  beauties  of  a  theorem,  will  bring  things 
into  the  presence  of  initiated  listeners,  which  are  still  remote 
from  the  minds  of  those  in  the  very  same  co7npany  who  have 
no  sympathy  with  the  theme.  In  the  case  of  the  believer,  the 
causes  of  estrangement  have  been  taken  away,  a  new  relation 
exists,  a  new  life  has  been  bor7i  and  God  is  present  as  a 
Friend,  whose  love  has  been  accepted,  and  whose  conversation 
is  understood  with  all  the  intelligence  of  a  kindred  nature. 
— Stanford. 


XII 

CHRIST  MANIFESTING  HIMSELF 

It  is  a  significant  fact  that,  when  Christ  arose 
from  the  dead,  He  showed  Himself  to  His  disciples 
only.  He  had  said,  emphasizing  a  generic  term 
which  included  all  who  were  in  a  state  of  natural 
hostility  to  Him,  ''  Yet  a  little  while  and  the  world 
seeth  Me  no  more."  The  literal  fulfillment  of  this 
saying  is  a  fact  of  well-accredited  history.  The 
Sanhedrim  that  condemned  our  Lord ;  the  priests 
who  mocked  Him  ;  the  rulers  who  rejected  Him  ; 
the  rabbi  who  jeered  Him ;  all  unbelievers  who  re- 
jected His  grace ;  saw  Him  no  more.  They  had 
cried,  ''Away  with  Him,"  and  He  took  them  at 
their  word.  When  He  had  risen  He  entered  Je- 
rusalem, travelled  its  contiguous  roads,  lingered 
among  the  mountains  of  Galilee,  stood  on  the 
shore  of  its  shimmering  lake,  then  returned  to  the 
Holy  City  as  noiselessly  and  unobserved  as  He  had 
left  it.  The  world  saw  Him  not.  His  very  person 
touched  theirs,  but  their  eyes  were  holden  that  they 
could  not  see  Him.  It  was  a  judicial  blindness. 
They,  themselves,  had  so  ordered. 

The  promise  of  His  manifestation  to  His  friends 
was  as  certainly  fulfilled.     When  He  rose  from  the 
195 


196  Christ's    Valedictory 

dead  He  showed  Himself  to  His  disciples;  was 
recognized  by  them;  talked  with  them  by  the 
way;  communed  with  them  in  their  place  of 
prayer;  gave  them  the  commission  to  ''teach  all 
nations"  ;  then,  seen  by  them,  entered  the  cloud- 
chariot  and  returned  to  the  Father.  Thereafter 
faith  performed  and  exceeded  the  office  of  sight, 
beholding  Jesus  exalted  in  the  highest  heavens,  and 
enthroned  in  glory.  To  this  spiritual  vision,  which 
shall  continue  with  the  church  during  all  the  ages 
of  His  absence,  our  Lord  had  special  reference 
when  He  said,  "Ye  see  Me." 

There  was  still  another  promise  which  was  veri- 
fied in  a  cumulative  experience.  "  In  that  day  ye 
shall  know  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father 
in  Me."  Some  think  the  day  alluded  to  is  that  of 
Christ's  second  coming,  at  the  end  of  the  world. 
That  day,  indeed,  shall  mark  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  church,  which  shall  bring  with  it 
larger  and  more  impressive  views  of  Christ  and  of 
His  oneness  in  power  and  glory  with  the  Father, 
than  ever  before  enjoyed.  But  the  expression,  ''  in 
that  day,"  is  used  with  reference  to  an  indefinite 
future,  embracing  all  spiritual  manifestations  of  the 
period  succeeding  His  ascension.  The  promise  be- 
gan to  be  fulfilled  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
the  church  went  up  to  grander  heights  and  broader 
horizons,  and,  in  the  growing  light  of  that  new 
era,  continued  to  go  from  one  high  table-land  of 
spiritual  knowledge  to  others  still  higher ;  the  ca- 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      197 

pacity  to  take  in  the  rapturous  vision  increasing  as 
that  world  was  approached  on  which  no  shadow 
shall  ever  fall,  whose  glorious  sun  shall  always  be 
ascending  toward  its  meridian  as  the  celestial  cycles 
roll  on. 

Corresponding  with  this  manifestation  of  Christ's 
unity  with  the  Father,  is  that  of  His  oneness  with 
His  people.  The  first  is  emblematic  of  the  second. 
As  believers,  we  are  united  to  Christ,  becoming 
members  of  His  mystical  body.  Hence  His  words, 
<'  Ye  in  Me,  and  I  in  you."  His  life  flows  into  our 
lives,  and  we  are  made  partakers  of  His  immor- 
tality. Our  souls  are  henceforth  divine.  This  is 
a  spiritual  transmigration  which  lifts  us  up  into  the 
embrace  of  the  eternal.  Not  that  the  soul  is  in  its 
nature  destructible,  immortality  conditional,  or  an- 
nihilation the  ultimate  fruit  of  sin ;  but  that  our 
glorified  and  eternal  life  is  a  consequence  of  spirit- 
ual union  with  Christ  who  liveth  forevermore. 

I.  The  condition  of  Christ's  manifestation  of 
Himself. 

The  varied  revelation  of  Christ  to  the  soul  is 
also  said  to  be  contingent  on  love,  for  faith  and 
love  are  coexistent.  While  love  is  the  greatest  of 
all  graces  it  does  not  outlive  faith.  The  latter  will 
be  modified,  as  hope  will  be,  in  the  world  to  come. 
Yet  the  exercise  of  love  will  be  as  continuous  as 
our  immortality.  There  will  always  be  a  basis  for 
belief  in  God,  and  eternal  good  will  be  the  object 
of  our  eternal  hope,  and  love  will  ever  be  the  trans- 


198  Christ's   Valedictory 

cending  element  of  our  spiritual  beauty.  ^'Now 
abideth  faith,  hope,  love ;  but  the  greatest  of  these 
is  love." 

But  what  Christ  seems  here  to  intend  is  that 
growth  in  love,  consequent  upon  obedience,  se- 
cures to  believers  the  manifestation  of  Himself. 
Love  is  a  primary  grace.  We  cannot  obey  unless 
we  first  love.  Nevertheless  the  appropriate  expres- 
sion of  love,  in  keeping  of  Christ's  commandments, 
strengthens  it.  Would  you  love  more  ?  Do  more. 
This  is  an  unalterable  law  in  the  spiritual  kingdom. 

Filial  love,  for  example,  is  enlarged  by  filial  obe- 
dience. There  was  a  true  philosophy  in  the  inge- 
nuity of  the  mother  who,  desiring  to  kindle  the 
love  of  her  child  into  a  warmer  personal  devotion 
to  herself,  furnished  the  latter  frequent  opportuni- 
ties of  serving  her.  If,  as  Christians,  we  perform 
the  duties  we  owe  to  our  fellow -believers,  bearing 
one  another's  burdens  in  ministrations  of  sympathy 
and  offices  of  helpfulness,  we  thereby  fulfill  the 
law  of  Christ,  and  increase  our  love  to  the  brethren. 

Here  is  found  the  sovereign  cure  for  coldness, 
alienation,  and  distrust.  This  principle  underlies 
the  whole  system  of  Christian  beneficence.  To 
give  is  to  get.  Friendliness  makes  friends.  Sym- 
pathy knits  other  souls  to  ours.  Acts  of  kindness 
are  recompensed  by  a  reciprocal  afi"ection.  Offer- 
ings to  the  Lord's  treasury  bring  blessings  from 
above.  The  execution  of  the  commission  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  every  creature,  secures  the  presence 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      199 

of  Christ  through  ''all  the  days."  This  law  of 
the  kingdom  has  been  verified  in  every  age ;  in  the 
experience  of  patriarchs ;  of  the  Hebrew  theocracy ; 
of  the  Apostolic  church ;  of  such  believers,  in  later 
times,  as  Richard  Baxter,  John  Howard,  Peter 
Waldo,  Samuel  Budget,  Hannah  Moore,  Lady 
Huntington,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  and  William  E. 
Dodge ;  representatives  of  a  multitude  whose  mon- 
uments, reared  before  they  departed,  are  Christian 
colleges,  theological  seminaries,  charitable  institu- 
tions, churches  for  the  poor  in  neglected  places, 
social  and  university  settlements,  and  little  kind- 
nesses to  their  fellow-men,  which  incarnate  the 
spirit  of  the  great  Missionary,  who  in  loving  min- 
istries exceeds  all  others,  as  the  heavens  are  higher 
than  the  earth. 

In  these  words  of  Jesus  there  is  suggested  the 
claims  of  the  present  dispensation  as  distinguished 
from  those  of  the  former.  The  Hebrew  economy 
was  a  schoolmaster  leading  to  Christ.  Life  in  the 
Old  Testament  age  was  largely  outward,  symbolic 
and  typical ;  that  of  the  New  Testament  is  inward, 
spiritual  and  real.  The  substance  succeeds  the 
shadow.  The  inner  life  is  far  more  than  the  out- 
ward profession.  The  soul  is  a  holier  temple  than 
that  which  crowned  Mount  Moriah.  In  view  of 
this  greater  light,  and  this  more  glorious  dispensa- 
tion, Christ  asks  for  the  heart,  and  all  of  it.  ' '  If 
any  man  love  father  or  mother  more  than  Me,  he  is 
not  worthy  of  Me."     He  would  have  forbidden 


200  Christ's    Valedictory 

guests  expelled  that  He  may  come  in  and  abide.  It 
is  His  will  that  our  love  to  Him  should  be  supreme ; 
sanctifying  all  other  loves,  but  assigning  to  them  a 
lower  niche  than  that  all-dominating  affection 
which  pronounces  Jesus  fairer  than  the  children  of 
men,  and  crowns  Him  Lord  of  all. 

When  a  French  surgeon  was  probing  the  wound 
of  a  soldier,  seeking  to  remove  the  rankling  ball 
lodged  in  his  breast,  the  dying  man  said  to  him, 
"A  little  deeper,  and  you  will  find  the  Emperor." 
So  should  the  love  of  Christ  be  the  profoundest 
principle  of  the  regenerate  life,  ruling  within,  and 
manifesting  itself  in  an  outward  loyalty ;  the  be- 
liever ever  ready  to  die  for  Him  whom  he  would 
not  deny. 

Observe,  again,  that  love  is  rewarded  by  the  mani- 
festation of  Christ.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that 
our  love  wins  Christ's  love.  The  very  opposite  is 
true.  ''  We  love  Him  because  He  first  loved  us." 
Nor  is  it  intended  that  His  gracious  presence  is 
contingent  on  our  love  to  Him ;  but  that  the  pre- 
cious consciousness,  and  the  larger  manifestation 
of  it,  are  granted  unto  those  whose  love  to  Him 
grows  with  the  years. 

There  is  a  divine  philosophy  in  all  this.  Only 
love,  in  its  normal  state,  has  the  capacity  of  dis- 
cerning the  beauty  of  its  object.  Just  as  one  must 
have  a  love  of  music,  in  order  to  discover  and  en- 
joy the  harmonies  of  Beethoven  or  Mozart,  so  we 
must  have  an  active  love  for  Christ  in  order  to 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      201 

realize  His  presence,  discern  His  beauty,  and  in 
some  little  measure,  compass  His  immeasurable 
love. 

So  with  sculpture  and  painting.  To  enjoy  these 
we  must  ourselves  be  artists,  in  embryo  at  least. 
There  must  be  something  within  which  responds  to 
that  without,  or  we  fail  to  appreciate  the  works  of 
an  Angelo,  a  Da  Vinci,  or  a  Raphael. 

I  recall  a  visit  to  one  of  the  most  renowned  art 
galleries  of  the  world.  Entering  a  little  room, 
where  every  voice  was  subdued  to  a  whisper,  and 
every  eye  was  fixed  on  a  single  product  of  artistic 
genius,  the  Sistine  Madonna ;  as  the  deep  vistas  of 
character  opened  to  view,  and  the  scenes  of  the 
far-away  past  which  linked  God  to  humanity  and 
earth  to  heaven  were  brought  to  mind  ;  the  hours, 
unmeasured,  hastened  by.  Presently  I  observed  a 
visitor  who  cast  a  hasty  glance  at  the  painting, 
pronounced  it  meaningless,  worthless,  and,  as  if 
annoyed,  turned  away.  A  money-changer  on  the 
Corso,  whose  highest  conception  of  earthly  good 
was  gain,  his  coffers  stored  with  Napoleons  and 
sovereigns,  and  his  vision  bounded  by  a  few  miles 
of  real  estate,  had  no  capacity  to  enjoy  the  work 
of  the  world-renowned  artist  whose  name  will  live 
until  the  end  of  time.  He  was  to  be  pitied  ;  and 
so  is  he  who  sees  no  beauty  in  the  landscape,  no 
grandeur  in  the  mountains,  no  glory  in  the  skies. 

Christ  manifests  Himself,  to  them  who  love 
Him,   and   not  unto  the  world.     They  who  love 


202  Christ's    Valedictory 

much,  enjoy  much.  To  them  the  larger  mani- 
festations of  Christ  are  given.  As  we  grow  in 
grace,  we  extend  the  range  of  our  spiritual  vi- 
sion, as  they  see  increasingly  more  of  the  varied 
beauty  of  the  earth  who  ascend  the  mountain  slope 
and  reach  the  summit.  And  when  we  enjoy  the 
largest  manifestations  of  Christ's  excellence  here, 
we  reflect,  with  gratitude,  that  the  object  of  our 
admiration  and  wonder  will  always  be  disclosing 
some  new  reach  of  glory  while  eternity  endures ; 
thus  securing  to  us  a  perpetuity  of  bliss. 

In  the  manifestation  of  Himself,  Christ  ad- 
vances from  the  milder  to  the  more  impressive  at- 
tributes of  His  Godhead.  The  former  are  better 
suited  to  Christian  experience  in  its  beginning. 
The  revelations  of  the  latter  inspire  reverence  and 
awe,  and,  while  they  deepen  a  sense  of  the  divine 
glory,  add  strength  and  beauty  to  Christian  char- 
acter. We  receive  an  impression  of  natural  loveli- 
ness from  the  mountain  stream  which,  leaving  the 
deep  forest,  winds  and  sings  as  it  threads  its  way 
through  meadows  and  across  widely  extended 
plains,  the  trees  throwing  their  shadows  over  it, 
and  birds  singing  among  the  branches.  But  there 
comes  to  us  a  solemnizing  sense  of  greatness  and 
power,  when  we  look  at  the  same  river,  far  down 
its  channel,  so  wide  that  we  see  but  dimly  the  op- 
posite shore,  so  deep  that  whole  fleets  might  be 
buried  beneath  its  surface,  so  powerful  that,  if  it 
chanced  to  leave  its  channel;  rocks  would  be  tossed 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      203 

about  as  feathers,  and  cities  disappear  before  its  re- 
sistless force. 

We  admire  the  white  cottages  of  Cardington, 
and  the  boulevards  of  Paris  ;  but  how  overwhelm- 
ing, to  some  minds,  a  view  of  the  pyramids  which 
have  endured  for  ages  ; — in  the  shadows  of  which 
Abraham,  Moses,  Mary,  and  the  child  Jesus,  may 
have  rested ; — towering  now  over  the  wrecks  of 
dynasties  and  the  graves  of  legions  which  once 
marched  proudly  to  their  death.  And  how  im- 
pressive in  contrast  with  the  picturesque  hills  of 
England  and  the  quiet  beauty  of  Windemere,  the 
solemn  Mt.  Blanc,  piercing  the  clouds,  covered 
with  perpetual  snow,  looking  to-day  much  as  it  did 
when  it  emerged  from  the  waters  of  chaos,  and, 
antedating  the  human  race,  claimed  all  centuries  as 
its  own. 

The  natural  world  is  an  emblem  of  the  spiritual, 
and  it  aids  our  apprehension  of  the  latter.  Jesus 
drew  many  illustrations  of  Bible  truth  from  it.  In 
the  vineyard,  the  lilies  of  the  field,  the  sunset,  and 
the  rock-foundation.  He  found  symbols  of  the  deep 
and  precious  things  of  God.  Let  us  avail  our- 
selves of  the  help  God's  book  of  nature  is  fitted 
to  give.  May  we  so  love  our  Lord  that  it  shall  be 
consistent  with  His  will  to  lead  us  on  to  higher 
revelations  of  Himself  by  which  we  shall  be  made 
more  divine.  We  should  not  be  content  to  live 
always  on  the  plain,  but  should  long  to  go  up 
to  the  summits  which  extend  our  view  of  spiritual 


204  Christ's    Valedictory 

things,  and  give  deeper  impressions  of  the  majesty 
of  God. 

Love  is  sight.  Its  measure  graduates  Christ's 
manifestations  of  His  glory  and  our  capacity  to  re- 
ceive them.  Christians  differ  in  their  spiritual  re- 
ceptivity, as  in  the  development  of  the  natural 
senses.  Standing  at  the  prow  of  a  vessel,  looking 
intently  toward  the  East,  discerning  nothing  but  a 
wilderness  of  waves,  I  was  surprised  when  the  sailor 
at  my  side  declared  that  he  saw  the  coast  line  of 
Palestine  and  the  towers  of  Jaffa.  It  was  not  a  de- 
lusion; for  another  half  hour's  sail  brought  within 
the  range  of  my  shorter  vision  what  he  was  first  to 
discover. 

You  and  I  sit  down  with  an  experienced  believer 
whose  ardent  love  for  Christ  is  a  source  of  perpetual 
joy,  and  with  him  we  study  the  Master's  words. 
We  soon  think  we  have  compassed  their  meaning, 
sounded  their  depths,  and  extracted  all  their  sweet- 
ness. But  it  is  not  long  until  we  learn  that  he  has 
gone  far  in  advance  of  us ;  and  we  wonder,  with  a 
growing  surprise,  as  he  discourses  of  the  wealth  of 
some  little  clause,  or  some  single  word,  that  fell 
from  Jesus'  lips.  His  face  grows  radiant  with  the 
light  of  another  world,  his  whole  being  is  mellowed, 
enlarged  and  filled  by  the  divine  presence,  so  that 
the  great  globe  under  our  feet  becomes  to  him  only 
a  perishable  atom,  while  his  soul  seeks  a  city  to 
come,  breathes  its  atmosphere,  and  anticipates  its 
joy. 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      205 

Why  this  difference?  He  loves  more;  and 
Christ  is  manifesting  Himself  to  him  in  a  fullness 
as  yet  unknown  to  us.  This  is  Love's  recompense. 
While  it  increases  knowledge,  it  transforms  the  soul 
into  Christ's  image.  It  prepares  the  believer  for 
larger  measures  of  joy,  greater  capacities  for  serv- 
ice, and  higher  distinction  in  glory  to  be  realized 
when  a  few  more  years  shall  have  gone  by.  Love 
is  the  ground  and  measure  of  our  Lord's  manifesta- 
tions of  Himself. 

2.     The  interpretation  of  divine  manifestations. 

The  inhabitation  of  the  soul  by  the  Father  and 
Son,  is  the  interpretation  of  Christ's  manifestations 
of  Himself.  The  farewell  address  was  interrupted 
for  the  third  time,  by  Judas,  not  Iscariot,  but  by 
Judas  Thaddeus,  or  Jude,  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
which  bears  his  name.  He  seems  to  have  been  one 
of  the  silent  members  of  the  Apostolate ;  for  this  is 
the  only  record  in  the  gospels  of  any  saying  of  his. 
As  Jude  had  listened  to  the  words  of  Christ, 
thoughts  arose  which  found  expression  in  the 
inquiry,  "  How  wilt  Thou  manifest  Thyself  unto  us, 
and  not  unto  the  world  ?  " 

This  query  revealed  his  carnal  views  of  Christ. 
His  mind  was  occupied  with  the  Master's  assump- 
tion of  regal  power ;  His  occupancy  of  an  earthly 
throne;  the  redemption  of  Israel  from  Roman 
tyranny,  and  her  exaltation  to  national  splendor 
exceeding  that  of  existing  dynasties,  or  those  tlmt 
had  been  the  wonder  of  ages  gone.     How  would  it 


206  Christ's    Valedictory 

be  possible  to  manifest  His  glory  and  dominion  to 
His  people,  and  not  unto  the  world  which,  in  His 
supremacy,  would  be  subject  to  Him  ?  This  was 
probably  his  thought. 

Our  Lord  does  not  answer  directly,  but  holds  at- 
tention to  the  spiritual  truth  He  had  suggested,  again 
referring  to  the  connection  between  obedience  and 
love,  which  alternate  in  their  order,  as  may  many 
a  cause  and  its  effect,  yet  giving  the  preeminence  to 
love,  and  then  calling  attention  to  the  indwelling 
of  God  in  the  believing  heart.  '*  If  a  man  love 
Me  he  will  keep  My  words ;  and  My  Father  will 
love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make 
our  abode  with  him." 

Bishop  Ryle  has  truthfully  said ;  "The  doctrine 
of  a  Fatherhood  of  God  which  is  soul-saving  to 
those  who  neglect  Christ,  is  a  mere  delusion  of 
man."  *'If  a  man  love  Me  My  Father  will  love 
him."  These  two  divine  persons  are  like  respon- 
sive chords;  touch  one,  and  the  other  vibrates. 
This  divine  love  passes  knowledge.  Its  intensity 
is  the  result  of  omniscience.  God  knows  the  pos- 
sibilities of  our  being.  He  sees  the  angel  in  the 
wreck  of  sin ;  immortality  wrapped  in  the  environ- 
ment of  death.  His  view  embraces  all  the  exalta- 
tion and  glory  under  grace,  of  which  we  are  ca- 
pable. His  eternal  thought  reaches  down  the  eternal 
years,  and  He  sees  Himself  perfectly  reflected  in 
the  saint.  Hence  the  greatness  of  His  love.  "  My 
Father  will  love  him,  and  I  will  love  him."     Then 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      207 

what  follows :  "  We  will  come  unto  him,  and 
make  our  abode  with  him."  Note  the  words, 
"  We  will  come."  While  Jesus  indicates  elsewhere 
His  official  subordination  to  the  Father,  as  a  Re- 
deemer being  sent  by  Him ;  yet  He  reiterates  His 
essential  equality  with  the  Father.  *'  ^  will  come 
unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him." 

And  then,  this  being  so,  the  Christian  is  the 
dwelling-place  of  the  entire  Godhead,  for  it  is  dis- 
tinctly and  repeatedly  stated  that  the  beHever  is 
the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Father  and 
the  Son  abide  in  him  by  the  Spirit.  Yet  in  an- 
other sense  all  are  present.  What  a  thought  is 
this  !  The  triune  God  inhabits  the  obedient  and 
loving  soul ! 

On  the  day  of  my  conversion,  when,  endued 
with  a  divine  energy,  I  thrust  back  the  bolts,  re- 
moved the  bars,  and  opened  the  door  of  my  heart, 
that  He  who  had  long  stood  without  might  enter — 
on  that  day  Jehovah,  three  persons,  yet  one  God, 
crossed  the  threshold  of  my  spiritual  being,  closed 
the  door  behind  Him,  and  announced  His  intention 
to  abide  with  me  forever  !  It  is  a  mystery,  yet 
blessedly  true ! 

Natural  life  is  a  mystery.  No  one  has  found  its 
solution.  But  we  do  not,  on  that  account,  question 
its  presence.  So  God,  the  source  of  divine  life, 
dwells  within  us.  His  Word  declares  it.  Our 
spiritual  consciousness  declares  it.  Each  holy  im- 
pulse, aspiration,  emotion  makes  it  known.     Our 


208  Christ's    Valedictory 

fellowship  with  God,  the  faith  which  contemplates 
the  life  to  come,  the  hope  which  dies  not  along  all 
the  years,  celestial  sunshine  around  our  heads, 
our  feet  on  death  and  hell — all  this  is  the  token 
and  pledge  of  the  indwelling  of  God  and  our 
citizenship  in  heaven. 

The  Queen  of  England,  when  sojourning  among 
the  highlands,  taking  a  morning  walk  among  the 
hills,  entered  the  cottage  of  one  of  her  humblest 
subjects,  and  they  two  talked  together,  reverence 
answering  a  Christlike  love.  The  poor  woman  felt 
herself  unspeakably  honored.  The  queen  of  Great 
Britain  and  empress  of  India  her  guest !  There- 
after the  chair  in  which  the  Queen  sat  was 
never  occupied  by  another ;  and,  as  a  sacred  heir- 
loom, it  will  go  down  to  generations  yet  unborn. 
But  when  we  think  of  God's  indwelling  in  the 
soul ;  the  Maker  and  Ruler  of  worlds,  tarrying, 
not  for  an  hour,  but  abiding  forever;  all  com- 
parison breaks  utterly  down,  and  Victoria's  visit  is 
not  worthy  to  be  likened  to  the  inhabitation  of 
God. 

Now  we  understand  how  divine  manifestations 
are  made  to  believers  and  not  to  the  world.  These 
manifestations  are  spiritual,  invisible,  inward.  Be- 
cause of  this.  Christians  learn  more  and  more  of 
the  glory  and  grace  of  Christ.  They  feel  the  up- 
lifting power  of  His  presence ;  are  daily  putting  on 
more  of  His  beauty;  are  increasingly  filled  with 
His  Spirit ;  and  dwell  with  Him  on  the  boarders 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      209 

of  the  heavenly  state ;  soon  to  enter  into  the  full 
enjoyment  of  that  life  which  shall  never  end. 
We  learn  from  all  this 

1 .  The  excellence  of  love.  It  is  is  God's  crown- 
ing glory ;  the  rainbow  around  the  throne.  It  is 
the  controlling  element  in  His  being.  His  justice 
is  an  expression  of  His  love.  His  holiness  declares 
the  love  which  cannot  tolerate  sin,  and  would  rescue 
us  from  its  power. 

It  finds  expression  in  material  worlds ;  in  all  that 
is  beautiful,  fruitful,  and  elevating  to  thought  and 
heart  and  life.  The  arching  sky  declares  it  by 
day ;  the  stars  register  it  at  night ;  the  gentle  winds 
chant  it ;  the  summer  brook  warbles  it ;  the  bend- 
ing orchards  tell  of  it;  the  beautiful  glen,  the 
meadow,  the  little  hills  covered  with  green,  give 
voice  to  it;  and  so,  too,  the  mountain  whose  sum- 
mit wears  a  mantle  of  purity  let  down  from  heaven, 
announces  the  love  which  shall  survive  earth  and 
skies.     God  is  love. 

2.  God  asks  our  love.  He  requires  nothing 
more.  He  can  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less.  Love 
carries  with  it  every  other  grace.  Where  the  heart 
goes,  the  life  follows.  If  we  love  Christ,  we  shall 
regard  His  will  and  seek  His  glory  ;  we  shall  obey 
His  words  and  consecrate  ourselves  to  Him,  ever 
looking  for  that  blessed  hope  and  the  glorious  ap- 
pearing of  the  great  God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ.  No  wonder  He  says,  "Son,  daughter, 
give  me  thy  heart."     Withholding  that.  He  will 


210  Christ's    Valedictory 

accept  nothing.  Your  gold  and  silver  are  dross, 
your  knowledge  worthless,  your  gifts  emptiness. 
He  sues  for  your  love.  "  Behold  I  stand  at  the 
door  and  knock." 

If  we  love  Him,  let  us  cultivate  our  love.  Do 
little  things  for  Christ,  if  you  cannot  do  great 
things.  Acknowledge  Him  before  men.  Speak 
for  Him.  Bring  your  offering,  and  lay  it  at  His 
feet.  Seek  to  bring  others  to  Him,  that  His  grace 
may  be  glorified  in  them.  Aid  the  advance  of  His 
Church,  pushing  out  its  lines  into  all  the  earth ;  so 
hastening  His  universal  reign. 

Go  sit  beside  the  cross,  and  look  over  into  the 
empty  sepulchre,  then  up  to  the  open  heaven  where 
Christ  is  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  Think 
reverently  and  gratefully  of  His  love  which  reaches 
you  from  His  far-away  home,  even  now  the  long- 
ing of  His  heart  about  to  find  expression  in  that 
wonderful  call,  "  Arise,  my  love,  my  fair  one,  and 
come  away."  Surely  we  should  love  Him  more. 
Shame  on  us  Christians,  if  we  love  Him  but  little, 
and  do  almost  nothing  for  Him.  Would  that  we 
were  more  like  John,  who  leaned  on  His  bosom ; 
like  Peter,  when  converted,  whose  devotion  the 
prospect  of  martyrdom  could  not  break ;  of  White- 
field,  whose  seal  was  a  heart  winged  for  heaven, 
bearing  for  its  motto  the  words,  ''Let  us  seek  the 
stars." 

Soul  out  of  Christ,  you  have  no  love  to  Him. 
You  do  not  care  about  Him.     You  hear  His  voice, 


Christ  Manifesting  Himself      211 

but  heed  it  not.  He  would  come  unto  you  and 
manifest  Himself  to  you,  but  you  put  Him  off  with 
a  promise,  or  in  indifference  turn  away  from  Him ; 
or  directly  resisting  His  entreaty  say,  "  Speak  no 
more  to  me  about  this  matter.  Let  me  alone."  O 
sinner,  I  am  concerned  for  you  !  May  the  Holy 
Spirit  awaken  you  to  a  sense  of  guilt  and  peril, 
ere  it  be  forever  too  late;  for,  ''If  any  man  love 
not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema, 
Maranatha — "     Accursed  when  the  Lord  comes  ! 


THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  OUR  TEACHER,  AND 
REMEMBRANCER 


These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you^  being  yet  present 
with  you.  But  the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost, 
whom  the  Father  will  send  in  My  name.  He  shall  teach  you 
all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  what- 
soever I  have  said  unto  you. — John  xiv.  25,  26. 

Scripture  can  be  savingly  understood  only  in  and  by  the 
inward  illumination  of-  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  gospel  is  a 
picture  of  God^s  free  grace  to  sinners.  Were  we  in  a  room 
hung  with  the  finest  paintings  and  adorned  with  the  most 
exquisite  statues,  we  could  not  see  one  of  thetn,  if  all  light 
were  excluded.  Now  the  blessed  Spirit'' s  irradiation  is  the 
same  to  the  mind  that  outward  light  is  to  the  bodily  eyes. 

— TOPLADY. 


XIII 

THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  OUR  TEACHER,  AND 
REMEMBRANCER 

As  a  teacher  sent  from  God,  Christ's  work  was 
soon  completed.  He  was  occupied  with  the  great 
underlying  facts  of  religion ;  with  interpretations 
of  the  law ;  the  universal  prevalence  of  sin ;  the 
necessity  for  an  atonement;  the  conditions  of 
salvation;  and  the  ultimate  results  of  His  death 
as  related  to  believers ;  all  others  being,  by  their 
own  acts,  forever  excluded  from  His  kingdom,  and 
from  a  share  in  His  glory.  This  instruction  was 
needful  as  an  interpretation  of  the  cross,  and  for 
the  personal  appropriation  of  its  benefits.  His 
great  object  was  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  the 
violated  law.  The  incarnation  furnished  the  sacri- 
fice which  was  offered  on  the  altar  of  His  divinity, 
that,  consistently  with  the  requirements  of  divine 
justice,  and  the  integrity  of  His  divine  rule,  God 
might  justify  the  ungodly.  In  view  of  this 
crowning  act  of  His  life  Jesus  said,  ''I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with,  and  how  am  I  strait- 
ened until  it  be  accomplished." 

But  although  Christ,  as  a  teacher,  lays  down  His 
commission  at  the  cross,  having  spoken  all  the 
things  that  came  within  the  province  of  His  min- 
215 


216  Christ's    Valedictory 

istry,  He  announces  for  the  comfort  of  His  disci- 
ples, before  the  final  word  is  spoken,  that  another 
teacher  will  succeed  Him,  and  tarry  longer  with 
them.  *' These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you, 
being  yet  present  with  you;  but  the  Comforter, 
which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father  will 
send  in  My  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all  things 
and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance,  what- 
soever I  have  said  unto  you." 

This  Comforter  is  sent  in  Christ's  name.  The 
relations  of  the  Holy  Trinity  are  beyond  our  com- 
prehension. The  words  of  Jesus  throw  some  light 
on  a  subject  so  abstruse,  whose  summit  is  out  of 
our  sight,  in  heaven.  The  Father  gives  the  Son. 
The  Son  speaks  the  words  of  the  Father  who  sent 
Him;  and  constantly  acts  with  reference  to  the 
Father's  glory.  Then  the  Father  sends  the  Holy 
Spirit ;  yet  He  does  this  in  the  name  of  Christ,  or 
in  concurrence  with  the  will  of  the  latter,  and  by 
virtue  of  His  atoning  work.  And  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  comes.  He  speaks  that  which  He  hears.  He 
makes  no  utterance  which  is  not  in  full  harmony 
with  the  mind  and  will  of  both  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  whom  He  represents.  Hence,  we  are  ac- 
customed to  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  "proceeds 
from  "  the  other  two  persons  of  the  Godhead. 

As  to  His  essence  He  is  identical  with  them,  and 
wherever  the  Spirit  is,  the  Father  and  the  Son  are 
present.  There  is  no  schism  in  the  Godhead. 
The  three  persons  of  the  Holy  Trinity  are  one  God. 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher   21Y 

The  unity  is  perfect  and  eternal.  They  act  in  har- 
mony, both  as  to  spirit  and  intent.  At  the  same 
time,  this  is  consistent  with  the  doctrine  of  the 
church  representing  the  eternal  generation  of  the 
Son ;  and  the  procession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  from 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  Concerning  the  latter, 
the  Greek  church  dissents,  standing  alone  in  its  op- 
position to  the  belief  of  all  Protestants,  and  of  the 
Latin,  commonly  called  the  Roman  Catholic 
church,  holding  that  the  Holy  Spirit  proceeds  only 
from  the  Father.  The  order  of  personal  subsistence 
being  always  indicated  in  the  order  of  the  three 
dispensations,  the  mode  of  operation  is  always  con- 
sistent with  it.  The  Holy  Spirit  completes  Christ's 
work  of  redemption.  <*Whom,"  as  the  Son  ex- 
presses it,  "the  Father  v.-ill  send  in  My  name." 

The  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  as  related  to  be- 
lievers, is  clearly  stated  to  be  that  of  a  Teacher. 
"He  shall  teach  you  all  things."  This  promise 
was  given  to  the  Apostolate,  but  it  extends  to  all 
believers  and  through  every  age.  The  Holy  Spirit 
enlightened  the  mind  of  the  apostles,  giving  both 
a  more  extended  and  a  clearer  apprehension  of  the 
truth.  Whatsoever  they  needed  to  know,  in  order 
to  the  accomplishment  of  their  ministry,  they  were 
taught  by  the  Spirit.  Under  His  instruction  they 
learned  rapidly ;  and,  their  spiritual  power  growing 
with  their  knowledge  of  the  truth,  they  preached 
the  wondrous  words  of  life,  with  an  efficiency  never 
since  excelled. 


218  Christ's    Valedictory 

As  Christians,  we  are  in  the  same  school.  The 
Spirit  is  our  prophet  to  teach  the  docile  and  dili- 
gent. His  instruction  embraces  a  wide  range  of 
truth ;  and,  if  we  do  our  part,  He  continually  en- 
larges our  capacity  to  receive  it.  The  "all 
things"  of  the  promise  includes  all  that  Christ 
spake,  and  whatsoever  is  contained  in  the  Word  of 
God,  that  we  are  able,  with  our  finite  understand- 
ing, to  receive.  There  will  still  remain  much  that 
we  cannot  comprehend.  We  shall  see  only  the 
outlines  of  some  of  the  great  facts  of  revelation,  as 
we  see  the  distant  mountain  ranges  and  not  all 
their  features,  or  the  valleys  which  lie  between. 
The  mysteries  of  redemption  will  engage  our  ear- 
nest study  in  heaven.  Then  we  shall  know  more 
about  the  relations  to  each  other  of  the  persons  of  the 
Godhead ;  about  the  divine  sovereignty,  the  person 
of  Christ,  the  mystery  of  the  cross,  and  all  that  is 
now  dark  in  the  providences  of  God,  as  related  to 
ourselves  and  others. 

The  subject  matter  of  the  Spirit's  teaching  will 
always  be  that  which  has  been  written.  The  Bible 
is  His  text-book ;  of  which  He  is  both  the  author 
and  the  interpreter.  He  will  make  no  addition  to 
the  divine  revelation,  as  completed  by  the  apostles. 
He  will  write  no  new  gospel ;  bring  in  no  new  and 
wider  hope ;  reveal  nothing,  for  the  first  time,  to 
the  church,  to  be  handed  down  by  tradition,  equally 
authentic  with  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments. 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher    219 

The  Word  of  God  is  a  sufficient  rule  of  faith 
and  practice.  But  it  needs  to  be  illumined  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  Permit  an  illustration.  The 
traveller  spends  a  night  on  Mount  Tabor.  The 
season  is  the  early  spring.  The  land  is  clothed  in 
beauty.  Its  natural  features  remain  as  in  historic 
ages,  when  armies  contended  and  Deborah  sang. 
But  all  is  wrapt  in  darkness.  Nothing  is  seen  save 
the  stars  and  objects  near  by,  weird  and  motionless. 
The  hours  go  on.  At  last  the  light  begins  to 
kindle  in  the  East.  Nature  wakes,  as  out  of  sleep. 
Then  he  looks  out  on  a  scene  of  matchless  interest, 
registered  all  over  with  potential  deeds,  the  mem- 
ory of  which  will  never  fade,  and  never  fail. 

So  the  Word  of  God,  the  wealth  of  which  is 
hidden  from  natural  eyes,  needs  the  illumination  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  It  contains  history  replete  with 
lessons  of  wisdom ;  prophecy  which  outlines  great 
events  whose  summits  touch  the  throne  of  God ; 
penitential  psalms  and  jubilant  songs ;  the  wonder- 
ful words  of  Jesus  and  the  utterances  of  apostles ; 
closing  with  the  Apocalypse,  with  its  disclosures  of 
the  near  and  endless  future.  But  the  unregenerate 
man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ; 
and  the  mind  just  renewed  by  grace  sees  men  as 
trees  walking ;  and  all  divine  truth  in  dim  perspec- 
tive only,  real  and  believed,  yet  having  but  little 
practical  influence  on  the  soul.  God  and  heaven 
are  still  afar  off.  But  if  we  are  the  subjects  of 
divine  grace,  the  Holy  Spirit  is  with  us.     He  has 


Christ's    Valedictory 

come  to  abide.  He  has  given  us  spiritual  under- 
standing to  learn  spiritual  things,  and  He  will  fulfill 
the  promise  of  our  departed  Lord,  **  He  shall  teach 
you  all  things."  Under  His  tutelage  we  may  hope 
that  our  going  forth  shall  be  as  the  morning. 

Peter,  James,  and  John,  who  attended  Christ 
throughout  all  His  ministry,  and  witnessed  His 
glory,  understood  but  in  part ;  the  Spirit  not  hav- 
ing yet  come.  The  same  was  true  of  all  the  imme- 
diate disciples.  The  atmosphere  of  truth  was  hazy. 
Their  eyes  were  dim.  Their  hearts  were  slow  to 
believe.  Their  opportunities  were  rare,  but  their 
knowledge  was  meagre.  We  know  how  rapid  their 
advance  when  the  Spirit  came.  They  were  as  men 
aroused  from  slumber.  Dreams  turned  to  glorious 
realities.  Truth  extended  its  compass  as  the  cloud 
seen  from  Carmel.  They  knew  more  than  prophets 
ever  learned ;  and  preached  the  Word  as  if  they 
had  known  its  richness  all  their  days.  "  He  shall 
teach  you  all  things." 

How  has  it  been  in  our  own  experience?  We 
knew  but  little  at  first.  We  summed  up  all  our 
knowledge  in  the  brief  statement  that  we  were 
sinners  and  Christ  was  our  Saviour.  That  was 
enough  for  our  salvation.  But  we  stood  only  on 
the  margin  of  a  great  continent  of  truth ;  and  saw 
not  the  broad  plains  and  lofty  mountain  ranges  be- 
yond. Then  we  studied  the  Scriptures,  divine 
providences,  and  listened  to  the  voice  of  Christian 
consciousness  within ;  trusting  in  the  Holy  Spirit 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher    221 

to  make  plain  what  was  obscure,  and  to  interpret 
what  was  dark. 

Meanwhile,  we  recognized  the  necessity  of  being 
careful  as  to  our  manner  of  life,  of  avoiding  what 
would  darken  truth,  and  of  doing  our  duty,  as 
grace  was  given  to  perform  it ;  and,  although  con- 
scious of  many  imperfections,  we  learned  the  doc- 
trine, and  were  persuaded  that  it  was  of  God  and 
not  of  man.  We  speak  humbly  of  our  attainments. 
We  have  nothing  whereof  to  glory.  But  we  do  not 
grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  by  a  low  estimate  of  what 
He  has  taught  us;  and  we  are  devoutly  grateful 
that  we  know  far  more  about  Christ  and  redemption 
than  when  we  began. 

One  thing  noticeable  in  Christian  experience,  is, 
that  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches  us  as  to  the  relations 
of  truth,  so  correcting  misapprehensions,  widen- 
ing our  spiritual  perceptions,  and  stimulating 
our  devotion  to  Christ,  the  incarnate  Worjl  of 
God. 

Memory  recalls  a  mental  picture  of  a  sacred 
mount.  It  was  very  unlike  my  previous  concep- 
tion, or  any  known  representation  of  it.  As  first 
seen,  the  slope  was  gradual  and  featureless,  and 
the  summit  lacked  impressiveness ;  seeming  to  bow 
to  greater  heights  beyond.  Another  view  was  es- 
sentially different.  The  point  of  observation  was 
on  lower  ground,  and  less  remote.  Then  the  mount 
was  seen  to  spring  suddenly  up  from  the  plain,  its 
sides  precipitous,  its  summit  among  the  clouds,  its 


222  Christ's    Valedictory 

whole  appearance  majestic,  sublime,  and  uplifting 
to  the  soul. 

The  first  view  was  quiet,  and  peaceful.  It 
seemed  to  stoop  to  the  weak  and  timid,  and  to  en- 
courage the  inexperienced  traveller  to  go  up  by- 
easy  grades  to  where  the  olive  trees  marked  its 
greatest  elevation.  The  other  inspired  awe,  awak- 
ened a  sense  of  sublimity,  and,  by  its  grandeur, 
stimulated  a  determination  to  climb  to  its  lofty 
height.  The  two  views  were  very  dissimilar,  yet 
equally  necessary  to  a  comprehensive  and  correct 
impression  of  the  whole. 

If  we  fail  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  teachings  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  our  intellectual  perceptions  of  truth 
will  be  one-sided,  partial  and  misleading.  Our 
creed  will  be  narrow;  our  character  weak;  our 
spiritual  growth  languid.  We  need,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  view  truth  from 
different  standpoints;  to  see  its  apparent  contra- 
dictions ;  to  learn  how  one  doctrine  of  revelation 
is  related  to  another;  how  Christ's  humanity  is 
lifted  by  His  divinity ;  how  His  gentleness  is  con- 
sistent with  His  strength  ;  how  His  condescension 
is  associated  with  a  moral  grandeur  that  towers  into 
the  highest  heavens;  how  the  divine  sovereignty 
is  in  unison  with  human  freedom ;  how  eternal 
election  and  personal  responsibility,  God's  im- 
mutability and  the  office  of  prayer,  and  many  other 
seemingly  opposite  statements  of  Scripture,  are 
consistent  with  each  other. 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher   223 

Although  we  may  not  be  able  to  fully  reconcile 
what  seems  antagonistic;  yet,  believing  both,  be- 
cause it  is  written,  we  find  our  spiritual  being  en- 
larged ;  our  confidence  in  God  strengthened,  and 
our  impressions  of  eternal  reahties  become  a  more 
controlling  principle  of  life.  This  teaching  brings 
Calvin  and  Arminius  into  close  relations ;  and  both 
are  made  better,  more  attractive,  and  more  efficient 
in  every  good  word  and  work.  This  enlarges 
Christian  sympathy  and  love  and  confidence,  and 
leads  far  on  toward  the  consummation  of  that 
spiritual  unity  for  which  the  Saviour  prayed. 

Some  truths  are  essential  to  salvation.  We  may 
know  little  beyond  these ;  and  may  know  these  im- 
perfectly, and  yet  be  Christ's  when  He  comes. 
But  a  wider  range  of  truth,  and  a  profounder  ac- 
quaintance with  what  we  had  learned  at  the  first, 
will  lift  us  far  up  in  the  scale  of  Christian  experi- 
ence here,  and  secure  us  greater  glory  in  the  world 
to  come.  Some  will  be  rulers  over  five  cities,  oth- 
ers over  ten.  Some  will  be  as  the  firmament  for 
brightness;  others  will  shine  as  the  stars  forever 
and  ever. 

I .  Another  office  of  the  Comforter  is  to  bring 
to  our  remembrance  truth  we  had  acquired  but 
forgotten.  Nothing  we  have  learned  can  be  abso- 
lutely discharged  from  memory.  Much  of  the  past 
is  a  burial  ground  which  awaits  a  resurrection. 
Memory  holds  fast  every  thought,  word,  and  im- 
pression,  that   has  ever   been   inscribed  upon   it. 


224  Christ's    Valedictory 

God  says,  ''Son  remember,"  and  the  record  is  as 
ineffaceable  as  our  immortality. 

But  it  is  often  difficult  to  recall  distinctly,  or  at 
all,  some  truth  when  needed  to  meet  an  emergency 
in  life.  Our  Lord  has  provided  for  this  defect  in 
memory.  "The  Comforter  shall  bring  all  things 
to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you."  He  calls  into  exercise  every  faculty  of  the 
soul.  He  revives  that  which  is  past.  He  opens 
to  us  the  old  armory  of  God,  that  we  may  put  on 
some  weapon  of  defence  we  had  hung  on  the  wall 
and  quite  forgotten. 

The  Spirit  may  act  directly  on  the  memory.  He 
may  repeat  to  us  the  very  words  of  Scripture  we 
had  learned;  or,  through  the  law  of  association, 
recall  them.  Pie  may  take  advantage  of  some 
incident,  in  itself  insignificant,  such  as  the  falling 
of  a  leaf,  the  sound  of  a  distant  waterfall,  a  casual 
meeting  with  a  stranger,  a  narrative  in  a  book,  a 
painting  in  an  art-gallery,  or  some  providence  un- 
expected, or  familiar,  to  bring  long-forgotten  truth 
to  mind.  Many  conversions  may  be  referred  to  a 
spiritual  impression  resulting  from  a  revival  of 
memory.     It  is  not  a  mere  poetic  fancy  that, 

"  Lulled  in  the  countless  chambers  of  the  brain 
Our  thoughts  are  linked  by  many  a  hidden  chain, 
Awake  but  one,  and  lo,  what  myriads  rise ! 
Each  stamps  its  image  as  the  other  flies." 

The  reference  before  us,  however,  is  not  to  con- 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher   225 

version,  but  to  the  quickening  and  comforting  of 
believers.  Still  the  same  law  of  operation  applies 
to  both  experiences,  and  the  gracious  results  in  each 
case  are  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  wilder- 
ness conflict  with  Temptation,  which  employed  all 
the  powers  of  Christ's  humanity  through  a  painful 
and  protracted  period,  when  He  repeatedly  resisted 
the  suggestion  of  the  adversary  by  quoting  some 
passage  of  Scripture,  saying,  "It  is  written,"  the 
recollection  of  which  may  have  been  aided  by  the 
Spirit  who  had  been  given  Him  without  measure, 
illustrates  the  experience  of  believers  who  meet 
temptation  with  the  same  weapon;  the  Com- 
forter bringing  to  mind  some  expression  of  the 
sacred  Scripture,  a  promise  or  statement  of  truth, 
precisely  adapted  to  the  case,  by  means  of  which 
Satan  was  driven  from  the  field ;  for  there  is  noth- 
ing he  more  dreads  than  the  Sword  of  the  Spirit, 
which  is  the  Word  of  God.  Thus  the  child  of 
God  is  enabled  to  stand  in  the  evil  day,  and  hav- 
ing done  all  to  stand. 

So,  also,  in  our  sorrows,  W5  are  comforted  by  the 
word  which  the  Spirit  brings  to  mind.  Often 
there  is  borne  to  us,  on  the  breathings  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  fragrance  of  the  garden  of  spices,  and, 
as  it  enters  our  being,  it  carries  healing  with  it ;  a 
soothing  balm  from  the  trees  of  God. 

The  revived  remembrance  is  accompanied  with 
an  unfolding  of  the  truth,  and  we  discern  new 
beauty  in  the  promise,  draw  fresh  solace  from  it, 


226  Christ's    Valedictory 

are  lifted  above  the  clouds  which  had  wrapped  us 
for  a  little,  and,  standing  on  the  Mount  of  God, 
whither  the  Spirit  has  borne  us,  look  joyfully  away 
to  the  world  where  sorrow  is  unknown. 

The  promise  is  limited  to  the  truth  remembered. 
''Whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you."  There  is  a 
blessed  forgetfulness  which  is  not  disturbed.  The 
past  life  of  sin  is  here  recalled  only  so  far  as  is 
needful  for  us.  If  pride  gathers  strength  and  gains 
ascendency,  it  may  be  humbled  by  a  remembrance 
of  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  we  were  digged. 
When  self-sufficiency  imperils  our  souls,  we  may  be 
rescued  from  a  threatening  fall  by  the  revival  of 
some  memory  of  sin  committed  in  the  years  gone  by, 
when  natural  conscience  was  asleep,  and  we  relied 
on  the  resources  of  strength  we  supposed  to  be 
within  us.  A  Christian,  as  in  a  case  of  which  we 
have  authentic  record,  may  carry  on  his  hand  a 
scar  which  is  to  him  a  means  of  grace ;  keeping 
him  in  lowly  dependence  on  Christ  through  every 
hour. 

But  there  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  our 
Lord  to  open,  unnecessarily,  old  wounds,  and 
summon  deeds  of  darkness  from  their  hiding-places 
to  stalk  across  our  path,  taunting  us  with  the  re- 
membrance of  repeated  sins.  There  is  a  kind  pro- 
vision in  the  economy  of  grace  for  relief  from  pain- 
ful memories  which  might  only  serve  to  deepen  de- 
spondency, or  urge  us  on  to  the  verge  of  despair. 
And  it  is  comforting  to  know  that,  in  the  life  to 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher    227 

come,  the  past  shall  throw  no  shadow  on  the  sea  of 
glass.  Then  there  shall  be  no  necessity  for  the  dis- 
cipline of  grieving  recollections.  The  great  facts 
of  the  fall  and  recovery  from  it;  of  impenitence 
and  repentance ;  of  guilt  and  Christ's  forgiveness, 
full  and  free  j  shall  be  distinctly  remembered.  But 
no  humbling  incidents  of  the  earthly  life  shall  live 
in  the  book  and  volume  of  our  brain  forever. 

The  expulsive  power  of  holy  thoughts,  holy  com- 
panionship, holy  occupation ;  and  worshipful  con- 
templation of  Christ  whose  glory  shall  unfold  for- 
ever; will  leave  no  room  for  memories  of  sinful 
acts,  and  of  humiliating  defeats  on  the  fields  of 
strife.  But  there,  as  well  as  here,  the  Spirit  may 
often  remind  us  of  some  promise  that  lightened  the 
pressure  of  the  cross ;  some  word  of  Jesus  which 
was  a  lamp  in  the  night ;  some  saying  of  His  that 
was  incomprehensible  once,  but  now,  according  to 
His  own  word,  is  plain. 

2.  The  teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit  increases 
power.  Ordinarily  the  advance  is  gradual,  as  the 
growth  of  the  physical  body,  or  of  the  day.  It 
will  be  largely  determined  by  the  diligent  use  of  the 
means  of  grace.  *'  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord 
shall  renew  their  strength."  '^He  that  seeketh, 
findeth."  The  neglect  of  these  teachings  explains 
the  spiritual  leanness  of  many.  Nor  are  we  sur- 
prised at  the  growth  of  believers  who  take  time,  and 
that  habitually,  for  the  devout  study  of  the  Word, 
secret  prayer,  and  communion  with  God  through 


228  Christ's   Valedictory 

public  ordinances.  They  are  as  the  sun  when  he 
goeth  forth  in  his  might.  They  are  the  Enochs, 
Daniels,  and  Pauls,  of  these  latter  days. 

But  there  is  an  experience  which  is  abrupt. 
There  have  been  many  Christians  who  were  sud- 
denly filled  to  the  limit  of  their  capacity,  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.  The  stages  through  which  they 
passed  were  these :  the  new  birth ;  a  gradual  ad- 
vance in  holiness ;  and  then  a  baptism  of  the  Spirit 
which  greatly  accelerated  their  growth,  or  lifted 
them  at  once  to  higher  spirituality  and  power. 
Pentecost  repeats  itself,  not  in  miraculous  but  in 
spiritual  gifts.  The  Holy  Spirit  comes  as  a 
mighty  rushing  wind  and  fills  the  soul  of  the  be- 
liever. 

Such  seems  to  have  been  the  experience  of  the 
Apostle  Paul.  He  was  converted  on  the  Damascus 
road.  When  Ananias  laid  his  hands  upon  him, 
he  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Still  there 
was  growth.  Capacity  was  increased.  The  goal 
was  further  on. 

Martin  Luther  furnishes  another  example.  Con- 
verted in  the  cell  of  the  Monastery  at  Erfurt,  he 
received  new  light,  and  a  fullness  of  the  Spirit,  on 
Pilate's  staircase  in  Rome;  becoming  at  once  an 
Alpine  saint,  suddenly  towering  above  the  foot-hills 
of  his  former  attainments. 

John  Wesley  was  a  believer  when  at  Oxford,  and 
his  spiritual  stature  had  increased  when  he  minis- 
tered to  the  Indians  in  Georgia,  but  a  few  hours 


The  Holy  Spirit  Our  Teacher    229 

after  his  interview  with  Peter  Bohler,  the  Moravian 
missionary,  on  a  street  in  London,  he  rose  to  great 
spiritual  heights,  thereafter  preaching  Christ  with 
an  almost  unexampled  power;  and  through  his 
instrumentality  converts  were  rapidly  multiplied  as 
the  years  went  on. 

This  meditation  suggests  :  i .  Our  indebtedness 
to  the  Holy  Spirit.  To  Him  we  owe  not  only  the 
humanity  of  Christ,  by  which  the  Son  of  God  be- 
came Immanuel, — God-with-usj — but  also  all  our 
knowledge  of  Christ;  our  union  with  Christ; 
whatever  measure  of  likeness  we  bear  to  Him ;  the 
inspiration  it  brings;  and  the  hope  of  ultimate 
triumph  over  sin,  and  entrance  into  glory. 

As  Christ  was  incarnated  in  our  nature,  so  the 
Holy  Spirit  is  incarnated  in  the  Church.  As  our 
teacher  dwelling  within  us,  He  carries  on  the  pro- 
phetic office  of  Christ,  who,  for  a  little  season,  is 
absent  from  us.  And  when  His  work  shall  have 
been  completed  in  us.  He  shall  ascend,  as  did 
Christ  from  Olivet,  and  present  the  Church  unto 
the  Father  '<  without  spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such 
thing." 

2.  We  learn  the  possibility  of  greater  holiness. 
We  are  not  to-day  all  that  we  might  have  been. 
Through  the  teaching  of  the  truth,  by  which  be- 
lievers are  sanctified,  in  answer  to  the  intercessory 
prayer  of  Christ ;  we  might  have  a  fullness  of  bless- 
ing, an  enduement  of  power,  and  earnests  of  heaven, 
far  beyond  what  we  now  enjoy.     Our  possibilities 


230  Christ's    Valedictory 

are  great,  hence  the  exhortation  ''  Be  ye  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

There  is  an  intimation,  in  the  injunction,  of  pas- 
si  veness,  or  simple  consent  on  our  part,  as  a  condi- 
tion of  being  thus  richly  blessed.  Do  we  consent 
to  be  thus  filled  ?  Are  we  wilUng  that  all  sin  should 
be  excluded  from  our  hearts  that  He  may  dwell 
therein  ?  Are  we  prepared,  just  now,  to  consecrate 
our  whole  being  as  a  habitation  for  Him  ?  Then 
we  have  but  to  open  the  now  closed  chambers,  and 
He  will  enter.  As  we  make  no  effort  to  breathe 
the  natural  air  that  surrounds  us,  but  simply  open 
our  mouths  for  its  entrance ;  so,  if  we  are  sincerely 
disposed  thereto,  the  Holy  Ghost  will  occupy  our 
souls  and  fill  them.  We  shall  breathe  the  atmos- 
phere of  heaven ;  put  on  the  attributes  of  a  noble 
Christian  manhood ;  and,  in  the  service  of  Christ, 
accomplish  spiritual  results  that  shall  be  a  benedic- 
tion to  the  world.  O  that  we  were  more  heavenly 
minded  ! 

"  Holy  Spirit,  all  divine, 
Dwell  within  this  heart  of  mine, 
Cast  down  every  idol-throne ; 
Reign  supreme,  and  reign  alone." 

Teach  us  whatsoever  we  need  to  know.  Sanctify 
us  through  the  truth,  and  bring  us  safely  home  at 
last,  where  we  shall  sin  no  more.  The  glory  shall 
be  to  the  Father,  and  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  as  it  was  in  the  beginning,  is  now,  and  ever 
shall  be,  world  without  end.     Amen. 


CHRIST'S  LEGACY 


My  peace  I  leave  with  you.     My  peace  I  give  unto  you. 

— John  xiv.  27. 

In  trouble  peace  may  dwell  in  the  deepest  resources  of  the 
soul.  It  is  as  when  a  tempest  has  risen  and  lifted  up  the 
waves  of  the  sea  before  which  great  ships  are  driven  as  its 
fury  increases  into  a  hurricane,  and  yet  a  hmtdred  fathoms 
deep  in  the  ocean  bed,  far  beneath  all  the  rage  and  tumult 
of  wind  and  wave,  there  is  calm,  rest,  perfect  peace,  because 
beneath  there  lies  the  rocky  bed,  firm  and  unchanging,  on 
which  a  whole  world  of  waters  may  be  stayed  forever. 

— Blunt. 


XIV 
CHRIST'S  LEGACY 

I.     The  interpretation. 

"  My  peace."  Strange  words  !  So  at  first  view 
they  seem,  when  we  consider  the  speaker,  and  the 
circumstances  in  which  they  were  spoken.  It  is  the 
Man  of  Sorrows  who  speaks.  Suffering  has  written 
its  history  on  His  face,  and  made  Him  old  before 
His  time.  His  whole  life,  thus  far,  has  been  one 
of  humiliation  and  sorrow,  and  He  is  now  about  to 
be  condemned  to  death  by  the  supreme  court  of  the 
land,  and  to-morrow  to  be  hung  on  a  tree.  What 
does  He  mean  when  He  says,  "  My  peace  I  leave 
with  you."  These  words  were  addressed  to  the 
eleven,  in  the  privacy  of  a  borrowed  room,  the 
doors  of  which  were  closed.  Had  they  been  ut- 
tered in  the  hearing  of  the  world  without,  men 
would  have  made  merry  over  the  legacy  the  Gali- 
lean was  about  to  leave  to  His  disappointed,  discon- 
solate followers. 

How  marked  the  contradictions  in  the  life  of  Jesus. 
All  history  furnishes  no  parallel.  A  character  so 
unique,  His  career  so  strange  !  Even  His  enemies 
wondered  while  they  hated  the  carpenter's  son.  At 
one  time  He  stands  before  us  in  a  moral  sublimity 
233 


234  Christ's    Valedictory 

which  lifts  His  head  among  the  stars ;  at  anc  ther 
there  is  none  so  abused,  despised,  and  trodden  un- 
der foot  of  the  world's  great  and  ignoble,  as  He. 
Now  He  performs  works  such  as  no  man  had  ever 
wrought.  Winds,  waves,  demons  and  death  obey 
Him ;  and  when  battalions  girdle  Him  with  their 
spears  He  walks  calmly  through  and,  unharmed, 
goes  on  His  way.  Again  He  is  the  object  of  char- 
ity ;  hungers  for  bread ;  accepts  a  cup  of  water 
from  a  despised  Samaritan  woman ;  lies  down  in 
weariness  on  the  earth  by  night,  with  none  to  min- 
ister to  Him  whom  none  can  understand.  It  is  this 
enigmatical  man  who  says,  ''  My  peace  I  give  unto 
you."  Some  might  have  said  of  this  strange  ut- 
terance, that  it  was  in  harmony  with  His  stranger 
life. 

A  few  days  later  the  disciples  themselves  could 
not  reconcile  this  word  with  their  experiences. 
They  believed  in  their  Master,  loved  Him,  hoped 
for  great  things  from  Him.  But  soon,  every  dream 
they  cherished  was  destroyed.  The  betrayal,  trial, 
scourging,  and  all  the  indignity  heaped  upon  the 
unresisting  Christ ;  His  ignominious  death,  hooted 
and  hissed  out  of  the  world  by  a  mocking  rabble — 
what  peace  do  they  find  in  all  this?  The  most 
they  can  say  is,  "  We  had  hoped  it  had  been  He 
that  should  have  redeemed  Israel." 

Yet  they  recall  the  tones,  deep  and  tender,  in 
which  He  uttei-ed  that  final  message;  and  each 
word  seemed  to  outweigh  the  world.      "My  peace 


Christ's  Legacy  235 

I  leave  with  you;  My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 
Had  they  known  Christ  better,  and  believed  more 
implicitly  in  Him,  they  would  have  been  able  to 
interpret  His  words,  and  permitted  to  realize  His 
promise  in  a  peace  like  His  own.  They  would 
have  said  one  to  another,  "  It  is  just  what  we  had 
reason  to  expect.  His  love  moved  Him  to  speak 
comfortably  to  us,  and  His  truth  makes  good  His 
word." 

A  little  later  they  had  peace.  It  was  a  peace  that 
passed  understanding.  It  was  a  mystery  to  them- 
selves, and  they  continually  marvelled.  Rejected 
by  their  countrymen,  driven  from  their  homes, 
scattered  abroad,  they  rejoiced  in  tribulation  ;  and 
when,  for  the  most  of  them,  martyrdom  threatened 
their  lives  and  took  them,  they  were  as  peaceful  as 
the  child  that  hides  in  its  mother's  bosom  and  falls 
into  restful  sleep. 

Christ  anticipated  the  needs  of  His  disciples. 
His  omniscience  traced  all  their  future.  Hence, 
He  knew  what  awaited  them  ;  the  trial  of  faith, 
the  experience  of  disappointment,  persecution, 
loss;  the  cross  that  would  press  their  shoulders 
and  make  them  bleed;  the  storms  of  hate  and 
wrong  that  would  sweep  down  upon  them,  as  the 
tempest  from  Hermon  which  tossed  with  waves  the 
Galilean  lake ;  and  He  foresaw  their  departure  at 
the  last,  in  form  and  suffering  conformed  to  His 
own.  He  knew  their  need  would  be  great,  and  He 
provided  for  it.     His  peace  was  theirs.     Happier 


236  Christ's   Valedictory 

men  than  the  apostles  no  age  has  ever  known. 
Greater  quietness  in  trial,  composure  in  suffering, 
triumph  in  death,  none  have  ever  experienced. 
Jesus  always  keeps  His  word.  If  we  only  believe 
we  shall  be  at  rest. 

Our  Lord,  as  to  His  humanity,  was  poor. 
Wealth  leaves  its  estates  and  ah  the  accumulated 
treasures  of  a  lifetime  to  those  that  follow.  It 
would  have  seemed  to  us  that,  in  order  to  the  es- 
tablishment of  His  kingdom,  the  apostles  needed 
vast  material  resources.  Christ  had  nothing  to 
leave  them  but  poverty,  and  a  holy  peace  in  trou- 
ble. Yet  with  these,  a  little  later,  were  united 
an  unfaltering  hope  of  success,  and  a  joyful  fore- 
casting of  spiritual  triumphs  a  little  way  off ;  the 
name  of  Jesus  known  and  honored ;  at  the  very 
mention  of  which,  hearts  bounded  with  dehght, 
and  knees  bent  in  adoring  love,  all  the  way  from 
the  Calvary  on  which  He  suffered,  to  the  sea  which 
bounded  the  world  on  the  West. 

But  Christ's  parting  message  was  not  addressed 
to  His  apostles  only.  It  was  intended  for  them 
also  who  should  believe  in  Him  through  their  word  ; 
a  royal  succession  to  be  continued  until  the  end 
of  time.  We  shall  consider  it  as  related  to  our- 
selves. 

11.  The  quality  and  scope  of  the  believer's 
peace. 

I.     Jesus  said  *'My  peace  I  leave  with  you." 


Christ's  Legacy  237 

"Not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you."  By 
this  is  meant  that  it  is  a  peace  in  kind  like  His 
own.  It  is  spiritual,  divine,  eternal.  The  quiet 
river,  entering  the  deep,  wide  sea,  is  a  symbol  of 
it.  The  bird  on  outspread  wings  soaring  through 
the  sky,  suggests  it.  It  is  the  experience  of  those 
only  who  have  been  born  of  God. 

It  is  Christ's  peace,  since  He  secured  it  for  us. 
It  was  the  purchase  of  His  humiliation.  His  servi- 
tude, and  His  cross;  and  is  bestowed  by  Him. 
"My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 

2.     This  peace  involves  a  justified  state. 

Our  natural  state  is  one  of  condemnation.  This 
is  a  fact  of  personal  experience  and  of  divine  reve- 
lation. It  is  the  source  of  the  greatest  disquietude 
known  to  men ;  the  ghost  that  haunts  them ;  the 
fear  that  disturbs  them;  the  galling  chain  that 
holds  them  to  the  throne  of  vindictive  justice  and 
injured  love.  Every  other  form  of  suffering  is 
light  in  comparison  with  this.  Men  must  deny  the 
testimony  of  their  own  consciences,  misinterpret 
God  and  His  will,  hide  themselves  in  some  refuge 
of  lies,  as  the  ostrich,  when  pursued,  hides  its 
head  in  the  sand ;  or  else  continue  in  a  state 
of  unrest.  Persecutions,  afflictions,  losses — these 
may  be  quietly  endured ;  but  a  guilty  con- 
science, and  a  sense  of  God's  displeasure,  who  can 
bear? 

But  they  who  believe  in  Christ  find  shelter, 
forgiveness,  peace.     The  divine  legacy  becomes  a 


238  Christ's    Valedictory 

personal  possession.  Jesus  says,  "  My  peace  I 
give  unto  you."  And  ''when  He  giveth  quiet- 
ness, who  then  can  make  trouble  ?  ' ' 

This  experience  suggests  an  incident  which,  no 
doubt,  was  often  recalled  by  the  disciples,  when  in 
a  fisher's  boat  they  were  out  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee 
in  the  midst  of  a  storm  that  threatened  their  im- 
mediate destruction.  In  their  fear  they  made  an 
appeal  to  Christ,  who  was  in  the  hinder  part  of  the 
boat  asleep,  for  He  was  weary.  He  rose,  but  to 
them  spake  not  a  word.  Stretching  forth  His  hand 
in  the  attitude  of  command.  He  said,  ''Peace  be 
still,"  and  at  once  there  was  a  great  calm.  So  the 
soul  that  was  tossed  with  tempest  and  not  com- 
forted, is  quieted  by  the  voice  of  pardoning  love, 
and  the  storm  of  judicial  displeasure  is  overpast. 
The  believer  is  at  one  with  God,  as  Christ  and  the 
Father  are  one.  Then  how  appropriate  the  word, 
"  My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 

3.  The  Christian  enjoys  peace  amid  the  afflic- 
tions of  life. 

The  present  state  is  one  of  constant  vicissitude. 
Change  and  decay  follow  each  other  in  quick  suc- 
cession, and  by  an  immutable  law.  "Here  we 
have  no  continuing  city."  We  go  out  of  one  ex- 
perience into  another ;  now  at  Marah  and  then  at 
Elim ;  now  lingering  awhile  at  Rephedim,  where 
the  channel  is  dry,  then  advancing  to  Horeb  where 
the  waters  gush  forth ;  now  contending  with 
Amalek,  the  smoke  of  battle  covering  the  field, 


Christ's  Legacy  239 

again   resting  in   the  grateful   shade   at   Kadesh- 
Barnea,  and  looking  over  on  the  land  of  promise. 

III.  It  is  a  comforting  reflection  that  God 
reigns.  Our  Father  orders  our  lot.  No  event  is 
fortuitous.  The  trial  which  to  us  was  unexpected 
was  long  since  intended.  Even  our  mistakes  are, 
in  a  sense,  the  result  of  infinite  wisdom;  and 
events  which  suddenly  change  the  whole  course 
of  our  lives  were  appointed  from  the  foundations  of 
the  world.  The  famine  which  drove  Abraham  into 
Egypt,  away  from  the  land  God  had  promised  him, 
was  an  important  part  of  the  divine  plan.  The 
selling  of  Joseph  to  Midianite  merchants,  and  the 
injustice  of  Potiphar,  were  needful  links  in  the  chain 
of  a  beneficent  purpose.  Paul's  imprisonment  at 
Rome,  John's  exile  to  Patmos,  Brainerd's  weary 
conflict  with  incurable  disease,  Harriet  Newell's 
early  death  on  the  Isle  of  France,  and  the  setting 
of  Sylvester  Larned's  sun  e'er  it  was  noon,  when 
multitudes  were  rejoicing  in  its  light; — all  these 
were  predetermined  by  Him  whose  kingdom  ruleth 
over  all. 

God  uses  our  physical  weaknesses,  our  financial 
trials,  and  all  that  is  immediately  adverse,  to 
further  His  providential  purpose.  He  also  em- 
ploys material  laws.  In  themselves  inert  and 
powerless,  they  are  energized  and  utilized  by  the 
divine  mind.  The  Lord  directs  the  course  of  the 
winds;    and   the   storms   are   His  servants.     The 


240  Christ's    Valedictory 

fields  yield  their  increase,  or  locusts  destroy,  as 
God  wills.  In  view,  then,  of  the  infinite  perfec- 
tions of  God ;  His  wisdom  to  plan,  His  power  to 
execute,  and  His  love  controlling  all;  we  have 
every  encouragement  to  confide  the  issues  of  our 
lives  with  Him.  Reposing  among  His  attributes 
we  shall  have  peace. 

I.  We  are  assured  that  afflictions  are  appointed 
for  our  good. 

God  does  not  work  capriciously  or  arbitrarily ; 
but  with  reference  to  beneficient  ends.  He  puts 
these  earthly  trials  among  our  covenant  blessings. 
He  engages  to  employ  all  needful  discipline,  and 
His  love  prompts  Him  to  administer  it.  The 
keeper  of  the  vineyard  prunes  the  vine  that  he  may 
increase  its  fruitfulness.  The  sculptor  uses  his 
chisel  upon  the  Parian  marble  that  he  may  bring 
to  view  the  beautiful  form  his  genius  has  conceived. 
So  God  chastens  His  children  with  reference  to 
their  good.  Sanctified  afflictions  work  out  the 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  to  them  who  are 
exercised  thereby. 

Our  trials  may  point  to  the  weakness  which  en- 
dangers us,  and  so  preserve  us  from  its  results. 
Peter  was  self-confident.  He  thought  he  could  go 
alone  in  his  devotion  to  Christ.  Then  came  the 
denial,  followed  by  the  bitterness  of  penitential 
sorrow;  and  self-reliance  was  thereafter  discour- 
aged. Paul  was  in  danger  of  spiritual  pride. 
God  planted  a  thorn  in  His  flesh,  and  left  it  there, 


Christ's  Legacy  241 

Thereafter  His  humility  was  His  chief  ornament, 
and  contributed  to  His  strength.  We  set  our 
hearts  on  wealth,  and  God  withholds  or  removes  it 
from  us.  We  idolize  our  children,  and  He  takes 
them  to  Himself.  Again,  He  sees  our  spiritual 
pride  declining,  and  adapts  His  providences  to  our 
need,  so  strengthening  that  which  was  ready  to 
die. 

The  end  of  all  trial  is  our  sanctification.  God 
does  not  chastise  us  for  His  pleasure,  but  for  our 
profit,  that  we  may  be  partakers  of  His  holiness. 
The  plough,  which  tears  up  the  soil,  prepares  it  for 
the  good  seed ;  then  follows  the  harvest.  The 
Beloved  comes  from  the  Mountain  of  Myrrh  to  see 
the  garden  He  had  planted,  and  He  must  needs 
bruise  some  of  the  flowers  before  they  yield  their 
fragrance.  And  since  the  fruits  of  affliction  are 
blessed,  the  Christian  is  encouraged  to  await  the 
result.     Submission  begets  peace. 

Then,  too,  our  sweetest  experiences  of  the  Sav- 
iour's presence  are  enjoyed  in  times  of  trouble. 
Jesus  tarries  on  the  mountain  until  the  storm 
comes,  and  our  vessel  is  tossed  by  the  waves; 
then  He  appears,  walking  on  the  waters,  and  still- 
ing the  tempest  that  He  may  calm  our  fears. 

When  suffering  severe  bodily  pain,  the  pastor 
of  Kidderminster  had  his  clearest  views  of  Christ, 
and  wrote  sweetly  of  the  Saints'  Everlasting  Rest. 
When  an  invalid  in  a  strange  country,  where  the 
sea-breeze  sang  dirgelike  melodies  among  the  pines, 


242  Chrisfs   Valedictory 

Felicia  Heraans  leaned  on  Jesus,  and  enjoyed  a 
rare  foretaste  of  heaven. 

So  it  always  is.  We  may  see  Christ  most  clearly 
when  we  are  blind.  We  may  catch  the  music  of 
His  voice  most  distinctly  when  we  are  deaf.  We 
may  enter  the  innermost  sanctuary  of  His  love 
when  we  walk  on  crutches;  or,  like  Susan  AUi- 
bone,  wheel  ourselves  thither. 

Our  greatest  joy  may  be  experienced  in  our 
greatest  sorrow,  and  when  bending  over  the  graves 
of  our  dead  Jesus  comes  nearest,  greeting  us  with 
the  sweet  message  — 

"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life." 
••  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again." 

Let  us  draw  near  to  Him.  Then  shall  we  have 
peace. 

Moreover,  sanctified  afflictions  bring  us  under 
the  influence  of  an  invisible  world,  and  increase 
our  meetness  for  heaven.  They  detach  our  affec- 
tions from  earth,  and  fix  them  on  things  above, 
where  Christ  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
Richard  Baxter  well  said  "  that  afflictions  serve  to 
quicken  our  pace  in  the  way  to  our  rest.  It  were 
well  if  more  love  would  prevail  with  us,  and  that 
we  were  drawn  to  heaven  rather  than  driven.  But 
seeing  our  hearts  are  so  bad  that  mercy  will  not  do 
it,  it  is  better  to  be  put  on  with  the  sharpest  scourge 
than  loiter  like  the  foolish  virgins  till  the  door  is 
shut." 


Christ's  Legacy  243 

Then  too,  the  afflictions  of  the  present  contribute 
to  the  divine  glory.  They  may  do  it  by  increasing 
our  usefulness,  and  by  making  us  more  like  Christ. 
The  greatest  works  have  been  achieved  by  God's 
most  tried  ones.  The  Epistles  to  believers  scattered 
abroad ;  the  Apocalypse  which  opens  heaven  to  our 
view ;  the  immortal  Allegory  which  helps  us  on  to 
our  final  rest ;  and  the  inspiring  records  of  singu- 
larly holy  and  useful  lives ;  might  never  have  been 
written  had  not  God  allured  these  His  servants 
into  the  wilderness,  and  given  them  vineyards  from 
thence ;  and  then  sent  them  back  to  us  laden  with 
the  fruits  of  sanctified  suffering. 

His  chastened  ones  may  also  exhibit  much  of  the 
beauty  of  Christ.  They  are  His  representatives  in 
the  world,  and  He  would  have  them  reflect  His 
glory.  It  is  His  will  that  we  should  show  forth  the 
power  of  His  grace,  and  the  sufficiency  of  His  sym- 
pathy to  sustain  in  the  most  trying  experiences  of 
life. 

Let  us  suppose  we  are  ascending  the  Alps.  Toil- 
ing wearily  upward,  we  long  to  see  the  grim  walls 
of  St.  Bernard's  Hospice,  and  to  rest  under  its 
hospitable  roof.  The  beautiful  valley  of  Martigny 
is  far  below.  All  traces  of  summer  have  passed 
from  sight.  And  now,  in  this  far  height,  surrounded 
with  oppressive  solitude,  the  stillness  broken  only 
by  the  baying  of  the  convent  dogs,  or  the  ringing 
of  the  convent  bell ;  under  an  overhanging  rock 
which  is  white  with  perpetual  snows,  we  see  a  clus- 


2i4  Christ's    Valedictory 

ter  of  beautiful  flowers,  lifting  their  petals  in  that 
peaceful  shelter,  and  shedding  thence  their  perfume 
on  the  cold  mountain  air.  They  suggest  how  grace 
may  live  in  the  midst  of,  life's  winter;  how  piety 
may  shed  its  hght  when  the  storm  is  about  it ;  how 
the  shield  of  covenant  love  may  protect  the  soul 
even  where  death  reigns.  We  may  honor  Christ 
even  more  by  suffering  than  by  service.  To  believe 
this  is  to  enjoy  an  unspeakable  peace. 

Now  when  we  stay  our  minds  on  thoughts  such 
as  these;  the  continued  providence  of  God  who 
rules  wisely  and  well,  and  the  fruits  of  sanctified 
affliction,  we  may  not  simply  be  calm  in  tribula- 
tion, but  even  rejoice  in  it.  Not  long  since  you 
were  worn  and  sad.  But  now  you  are  come  to  a 
quiet  retreat  where  the  storm  does  not  reach  you. 
And  although  the  evening  twilight  may  be  deep- 
ening into  night,  you  lean  on  the  bosom  of  your 
Heavenly  Friend,  and  sing  psalms  of  praise  touch- 
ing His  tenderness  and  grace.  Soon,  it  may  be, 
He  will  bid  you  turn  again  and  encounter  other 
trials.  But  shall  you  not  go  peacefully  on  ?  The 
leading  of  Jesus  is  right.  Leave  the  unknown  to- 
morrow with  Him. 

Such  is  the  peace  Christ  gives.  Human  friend- 
ship may  bring  some  alleviation  to  our  sorrow,  but 
it  is  always  small,  and  may  entirely  fail.  Then  the 
cry  of  the  soul  is,  "Lead  me  to  the  rock  that  is 
higher  than  L"  We  turn  from  all  that  like  our- 
selves is  human,  feeling  after  a  power  that  is  di- 


Christ's  Legacy  2J:5 

vine.  We  can  be  satisfied  with  nothing  less.  In 
the  very  nature  of  things  it  cannot  be  otherwise. 
With  relations  to  infinity  and  eternity  such  as  ours, 
it  were  folly  to  lean  on  anything  that  is  earthly  and 
transient.  We  must  go  to  God,  of  whom  Moses 
said :  "  Thou  hast  been  our  dwelling-place  in  all 
generations."  In  a  world  of  constant  and  univer- 
sal wasting,  He  alone  remains  unchanged.  When 
the  voices  of  human  friendship  are  hushed.  He 
speaks  peace  to  our  souls.  When  the  arm  of  flesh 
turns  to  dust,  His  arm  is  underneath  us  still  bear- 
ing us  up,  and  bearing  us  on.  "In  the  Lord  Je- 
hovah is  everlasting  strength." 

All  human  religions  are  deceptive.  Deism,  Pan- 
theism, Spiritualism,  Rationalism — all  fail.  They 
seem,  for  a  time,  to  meet  the  need  of  some.  But 
they  are  at  best  but  fitful  fires  that  light  up  the 
earthward  side  of  our  being  for  a  little  while,  and 
then  go  out  in  a  darkness  that  may  be  felt.  From 
all  these  false  sources  of  peace  we  turn  to  the  true. 
"I  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord  will  speak:  for 
He  will  speak  peace  unto  His  people,  and  to  His 
saints."     **  My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 

This  peace  is  perfected  in  heaven.  Now  we  are 
like  people  who  live  on  a  promontory.  And  here, 
as  well  as  on  the  mountains  and  the  plains  of  the 
great  Continent  to  which  it  leads,  the  sun  shines, 
and  the  birds  sing,  and  the  vineyards  bear  fruit ; 
albeit  the  waves  sometimes  lash  the  shore,  and  the 
mists  come  up  from  the  dark  waters.     If  we  be- 


246  Christ's    Valedictory 

lieved  more  we  would  enjoy  more.  Far  more  of 
heaven  might  be  brought  down  to  earth,  if  we  had 
only  faith  to  bring  it. 

This  peace  is  always  approaching  its  perfect  full- 
ness in  the  life  to  come.  The  beginning  predicts 
the  end,  for  the  gifts  of  God  are  without  repent- 
ance. Through  the  vast  solitudes  of  space,  and 
through  a  chill  exceeding  that  of  Alpine  heights, 
the  earth  advances  along  its  prescribed  path  through 
the  heavens,  and  toward  a  nobler  destiny.  So 
through  the  night  of  human  sorrow,  and  the  chill 
of  the  world's  cold  air,  we  go  on  to  the  full  frui- 
tion of  our  inheritance.  There,  the  sun  shall  no 
more  go  down.  The  shadows  which  fall  upon  us 
now,  may  disturb  somewhat  our  peace.  There  is 
eternal  sunlight  on  the  other  side.  Here,  though 
our  faith  clings  to  Christ,  it  sometimes  trembles. 
There,  it  shall  never  falter,  and  nothing  shall  make 
us  afraid. 

Now,  how  fittingly  Jesus  adds  the  words  which 
are  filled  with  tenderness,  carrying  a  gentle  rebuke, 
and  bidding  us  hide  in  His  bosom.  ''  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."  Thus 
He  repeats  what  He  had  said  at  first,  and,  with  the 
palm  branch  of  peace,  waves  aside  every  fear. 

As  we  sit  to-day  in  the  shelter  of  the  cross  and 
contemplate  the  faithfulness  of  our  ascended  Lord  ; 
as  we  hear  His  message  oi  love  coming  to  us  from 
the  excellent  glory,  and  witness  the  preparations 
He  is  making  for  our  home-coming ;  even  now  the 


Chrisfs  Legacy  247 

everlasting  gates  beginning  to  open  that  we  m ay- 
enter  ;  why  should  we  be  cast  down  by  the  trials 
of  the  way,  or  be  afraid  of  evil  tidings?  Why 
not  hide  ourselves  in  Christ  and  believe  that  all  is 
well?  The  sentiment  of  Chrysostom  should  be 
ours.  "  Poverty  I  do  not  fear ;  riches  I  do  not 
seek ;  death  I  do  not  shrink  from ;  and  life  I  do 
not  desire."  His  life  was  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 
The  storms  of  life  only  bore  him  the  sooner  to  his 
desired  haven.  No  matter  how  dark  the  night, 
how  heavy  the  clouds,  he  was  content  if  but  one 
star  shone  aloft, — the  star  of  Bethlehem,  revealing 
the  way  home. 

Trouble  we  must  have.  It  is  a  covenant  bless- 
ing. By  this  we  live.  But  it  is  an  environment 
only.  All  may  be  quiet  in  the  deep  dark  centre  of 
our  being,  and  there,  peace  may  abide. 

A  day  in  foreign  travel  is  often  recalled.  On 
the  island  of  Malta  the  sun  shone,  among  the  trees 
the  birds  sang,  and  the  gardens  along  the  way, 
spread  out  on  their  rocky  beds,  were  as  fragrant  as 
they  were  fair.  Yet  there  was  a  storm  on  the  sea. 
In  the  harbor  of  Valetta  the  ocean  vessels  were 
rocked  by  it  as  the  cedars  on  Lebanon  by  the 
passing  tempest.  Great  waves  smote  the  rock-bound 
coast,  and  the  sound  of  the  breakers  was  heard  all 
along  the  outer  edge  of  the  ancient  Melita.  What 
mattered  that  so  long  as  it  was  calm  and  bright  on 
the  island  itself,  and  on  it  rested  the  smile  of 
heaven?     So  the  Christian  often  lives  in  the  en- 


248  Christ's    Valedictory 

vironment  of  trouble.  Storms  are  abroad.  Temp- 
tations crowd  upon  him.  Enemies  are  thundering 
at  the  gates.  But  all  may  be,  all  ought  to  be, 
peaceful  within.  Why  not,  when  Jesus  says,  '<  Let 
not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid"? 

Let  us  keep  in  mind  the  true  conditions  of  peace. 
We  are  Hable  to  mistake  its  source.  Our  circum- 
stances have  little  to  do  with  it.  Change  of  place 
will  not  secure  it.  Wealth  cannot  buy  it.  Power 
cannot  command  it.  The  Czar  of  Russia,  in  his 
palace  on  the  Nevski  Prospekt,  may  be  a  stranger 
to  the  peace  which  possesses  the  soul  of  the  liber- 
ated serf  in  his  hut  by  the  Volga. 

The  conditions  of  peace  are  unalterable.  They 
are  faith  in  Christ,  and  obedience  to  Him.  Faith 
is  the  initial  grace.  Jesus  says,  "  Come  unto  Me 
and  I  will  give  you  rest."  When  troubles  come  in 
battalions,  faith  turns  its  face  heavenward  and 
says;  *' Though  He  slay  me  yet  will  I  trust  in 
Him."  When  we  pass  through  dark  places  and 
see  no  hght,  Jesus  says,  "Only  believe";  and, 
confiding  in  Him,  the  shadow  turns  to  morning. 

With  faith  is  associated  obedience.  The  apos- 
tles found  peace  in  duty  performed  for  Jesus'  sake. 
Where  the  Master  pointed  they  went,  though 
mountains  opposed  and  seas  rolled  between,  or 
thieves  threatened  their  destruction.  It  was  theirs 
to  do  and  die.  Martineau  was  right  when  he  said 
"a  great  essential  of  peace  is  not  ease,  but  strife; 


Christ's  Legacy  249 

not  self-indulgence,  but  self-sacrifice  ;  not  acquies- 
cence in  evil  for  the  sake  of  guilt,  but  conflict 
with  it  for  the  sake  of  God;  "  not,  we  may  add, 
accommodation  to  the  world,  but  the  subjugation 
of  it,  in  Christ's  name,  for  Christ's  glory. 

There  can  be  no  peace  in  permitted  sin,  whether 
it  be  transgression  of  the  law  of  God,  or  the  per- 
sistent neglect  of  acknowledged  duty.  To  obey  is 
to  find  rest.  To  do  the  will  of  our  King  is  to 
reign  with  Him  in  perfected  peace  and  endless 
glory.  God  will  render  unto  every  man  according 
to  his  deeds. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  if  you  are  out  of  Christ, 
may  you  seek  this  enduring  peace.  Conscious  of 
sin,  disturbed  by  fear,  and  often  burdened  with 
sorrow,  come  to  Christ,  humbly  asking  for  all 
you  need,  and  then,  hear  the  voice  that  speaks  in 
infinite  affection,  saying,  "  My  peace  I  give  unto 
you ;  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you. 
Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let  it  be 
afraid." 


CHRIST'S  GIFTS 


Not  as  the  world giveth,  give  I  unto  you. —  John  xiv.  27. 

No  earthly  life  shows  such  a  blending  of  light  and  love. 
Every  word  of  fesus  Christ  is  an  expression  of  tenderness 
and  a  sublime  revelation  ;  at  the  sa?ne  mo?nent  when  He 
opens  the  infinite  to  us  by  His  look,  He  folds  us  in  His  arms 
and  presses  us  upon  His  bosom.  We  soar  away  in  thought^ 
and  are  retained  by  love. — Pere  Lacordaire. 


XV 
CHRIST'S  GIFTS 

Silver  and  gold  or  estates  Christ  had  none ;  but 
He  has  promised  to  bestow  what  is  infinitely  better, 
saying,  with  a  tenderness  pecuharly  His  own, 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you."  It  is  His  farewell  mes- 
sage. It  is  not  the  conventional  valediction  of 
men,  the  Salam  which  is  empty  as  its  utterance  is 
brief;  but  the  expression  of  His  infinite  solicitude 
and  enduring  love.  Neither  is  it  simply  a  wish, 
but  an  actual  conveyance.  He  gives  them  peace, 
even  now,  at  the  table.  Judas  gone ;  the  light  of 
that  upper  chamber  declining  as  the  sun  nears  its 
setting ;  the  consciousness  of  a  great  loss  anticipat- 
ing their  Lord's  departure ;  there  comes  a  strange 
quiet  to  their  souls,  and  they  feel  stronger  to  bear 
an  inevitable  sorrow.  And  that  they  may  set  a 
higher  value  upon  their  restfulness,  by  associating 
it  forever  with  Him,  He  adds,  ''My  peace  I  give 
unto  you.  It  is  a  peace  which  I  only  can  impart, 
which  comes  from  union  and  fellowship  with  Me, 
and  such  as  I  have  w4th  My  Father,  into  whose  im- 
mediate presence  I  am  about  to  go." 

There  is  no  peace  in  its  nature  like  this,  and  in 
the  conveyance  of  it  also,  it  stands  in  lonely 
grandeur,  as  the  Tabor  they  know  so  well  rose  in 
25d 


254  Christ's    Valedictory 

the  midst  of  the  Galilean  plain;  for  "not  as  the 
world  giveth  give  I  unto  you."  To  this  one  clause 
of  Christ's  farewell  address  I  direct  your  attention 
for  a  little,  in  an  endeavor  to  magnify  the  gifts  of 
the  incomparable  one. 

J.  Christ  gives  promptly. 

This  is  a  fact  of  personal  experience  for  which, 
as  Christians,  we  are  thankful,  and  always  should 
be.  As  we  sit  to-day,  clothed  in  our  right  minds, 
at  Jesus'  feet,  we  recall  the  period  of  our  religious 
concern, — for  some  of  us  in  the  far-away  past, — 
when,  laden  with  conscious  guilt,  we  came  to 
Christ  and  put  in  our  plea  for  pardon,  based  on  His 
promise  and  His  blood.  Was  His  ear  heavy  that  He 
did  not  hear  ?  Nay  !  Did  He  bid  us  wait  until  He 
had  considered  our  request,  and  detain  us  in  the 
night-chill  through  long  and  anxious  hours  ?  Ah, 
no  !  While  we  were  yet  calling  He  answered.  We 
had  scarcely  knocked  until  the  door  was  opened, 
and  a  loving  hand  grasped  ours,  and  a  voice  of 
strange  sweetness  bade  us  enter.  He  gave  us 
peace.  The  expression  of  fear  passed  from  our 
faces,  for  a  sense  of  guilt  had  faded  from  our 
hearts,  and  we  entered  into  rest.  He  had  often 
called  us,  but  attachment  to  sin,  or  distrust  in  His 
Word,  or  some  misconception  of  the  way,  or  all  of 
these  combined,  had  kept  us  back.  We  were  not 
straitened  in  Him.  Hence,  the  moment  we  came, 
we  found  an  open  door,  a  cordial  greeting,  and 
that  restfulness  which  only  Jesus  can  give. 


Christ's  Gifts  255 

Moreover,  that  experience  of  His  promptness  to 
give  has  been  often  repeated.  His  first  gift  was 
like  the  beginning  of  a  golden  chain  which  was 
succeeded  by  other  and  larger  links,  and,  while  con- 
tinually receiving,  we  were  always  keeping  what 
we  had.  We  have  never  known  a  want  which, 
if  we  asked,  He  did  not  promptly  supply.  If 
we  have  ever  suffered  from  protracted  hunger 
or  thirst ;  if  we  have  grown  weak  and  weary ;  if 
we  have  walked  in  darkness  and  seen  no  light, 
the  fault  has  been  our  own.  We  did  not  avail 
ourselves  of  the  provision  He  had  made ;  for,  com- 
miserating our  need,  He  was  continually  saying, 
"Eat  O  friends;  drink  yea  drink  abundantly,  O 
my  beloved;"  and  He  encouraged  trust  by  sug- 
gesting the  past,  "I  gave  Ethiopia  and  Seba  for 
thee." 

Truly  did  He  say,  "  Not  as  the  world  giveth  give 
I  unto  you."  Yonder  is  a  group  of  men  standing 
at  the  gate  of  Windsor  Castle;  some  great,  and 
others  humble ;  some  the  subjects  of  the  Queen, 
others  from  the  kingdoms  beyond  the  channel,  or 
the  seas.  The  hours  pass  on.  The  sun  is  mount- 
ing higher  in  the  brazen  sky.  Still  admittance  is 
delayed.  The  Lord  Mayor,  and  the  Dean  of 
Westminster,  and  a  representative  of  the  Sublime 
Porte,  must  wait  as  do  meaner  men,  and  all  doubt- 
ful as  to  the  result. 

Across  the  channel  a  noble  Queen  intercedes  in 
behalf  of  men  who  have  offended  the  crown  ;  and 


256  Christ's    Valedictory 

the  sterner  king  at  last  consents  to  forgive  the  cul- 
prits on  condition  that  they  come  to  him  with  ropes 
around  their  necks,  expressing  thus  their  guilt  and 
desert  of  ignominious  death.  And  as  I  look  on 
these  two  scenes  they  suggest,  by  contrast,  the 
King  of  kings  who  says  "not  as  the  world  giveth, 
give  I  unto  you." 

But  are  there  no  delays  in  the  bestowment  of 
spiritual  blessings?  Not  if  we  seek  them  aright. 
Iniquity  in  the  heart  will  inevitably  close  the  chan- 
nels of  grace ;  or  if  we  ask  from  improper  motives 
we  shall  not  receive.  But  never  did  a  penitent 
seek  Christ  in  vain,  or  a  returning  prodigal  fail  to 
meet  his  Lord  in  the  way.  Not  down  the  future, 
at  some  unseen  turn  in  the  road,  is  the  house  of 
mercy ;  but  near  by,  for  those  who  are  willing  to 
enter  it ;  and  at  the  gate  the  Saviour  watches,  say- 
ing, "  Behold  I  have  set  before  you  an  open  door 
and  no  man  can  shut  it."  ''Not  as  the  world 
giveth,  give  I  unto  you." 

2.  Christ  gives  efficaciously.  The  world  may 
be  kindly  disposed,  and  yet  unable  to  give ;  or  its 
ministry  may  be  ineffective.  It  was  a  sad  sight,  a 
human  dwelling  swept  away  by  the  flood,  cries  for 
help  and  exclamations  of  despair  coming  from  the 
struggling  wreck,  dipping  now  and  then  beneath 
the  swift  current,  and  not  one  of  this  sympathizing 
multitude  along  the  shore  able  to  succor  mother 
and  babes  from  dread  disaster  and  watery  graves. 
But  Jesus  has  all  power.     His  sympathy  expresses 


Christ's  Gifts  257 

itself  in  effective  deeds.  As  He  spake  but  a  word 
and  it  carried  life  to  the  dead,  or  calmed  the  waves, 
or  multiplied  the  scanty  supply  that  multitudes 
might  be  fed ;  so  He  meets  spiritual  needs  with  ef- 
ficient grace.  He  gives  pardon,  and  believers  are 
at  one  with  God ;  He  gives  the  Holy  Spirit,  and 
they  grow  like  Himself ;  He  pronounces  His  bene- 
diction, and  there  comes  to  them  a  great  calm ;  He 
imparts  strength,  and  they  do  whatsoever  He  bids ; 
He  gives  the  cloudy  pillar  for  a  guide,  and  they 
traverse  pathless  deserts,  pass  through  the  channels 
of  Jordan,  and  enter  heaven.  His  gifts  carry  in- 
finite potency  with  them,  for  they  possess  the  na- 
ture of  the  giver. 

The  history  of  the  church  furnishes  confirmation 
of  this  on  every  page.  Receiving  from  God's  full- 
ness, multitudes  have  accomplished  impossible 
things ;  for  they  have  passed  beyond  the  limitations 
of  nature  into  a  diviner  realm  where  they  wrought 
in  the  power  of  God.  Through  faith  Abraham  be- 
came an  example  of  obedience  for  all  the  genera- 
tions following.  The  sublimest  man  of  that  dis- 
tant age,  the  kings  of  Sodom  deserve  no  mention 
in  comparison  with  him  and  receive  none,  except 
when  their  paths  cross  his.  And  on  the  plains  of 
Mamre,  communing  with  God ;  or  at  Bethel,  con- 
templating a  heavenly  country ;  or  on  Mt.  Moriah, 
beside  the  altar  of  wood,  willing  to  die  in  Isaac's 
death,  he  stands  before  our  mental  vision  an  illus- 
tration of  the  efficacy  of  God's  grace,  by  which  a 


258  Christ's    Valedictory 

trembling  soul  is  made  a  towering  saint,  observed 
of  all  the  ages. 

Moses  was  a  man  of  like  weakness  with  ourselves. 
But  Jehovah- Jesus  tabernacled  with  him.  Then  the 
very  rod  he  held  in  his  hand  controlled  the  ele- 
ments, divided  the  seas,  and  clave  the  rocks.  He 
opened  his  lips,  and  divine  words  carried  divine 
power  with  them.  He  went  into  the  very  council 
chamber  of  heaven,  and  returning,  revealed  God's 
will  to  men.  From  the  house  of  bondage,  by  the 
way  of  the  Red  Sea  and  the  wilderness,  he  walked 
a  mighty  prince ;  standing  at  last  in  the  sublimity 
of  unwavering  trust  on  Mt.  Pisgah,  lifting  thence 
his  pilgrim  feet  to  plant  them  on  the  street  of  gold. 
And  time  would  fail  us  to  tell  of  Peter,  who  once 
quailed  before  a  damsel's  gaze,  amd  afterward, 
through  Christ,  became  a  bold  defender  of  the 
truth  before  kings,  and  confronted  death  without  a 
tremor,  though  it  came  in  the  form  of  an  inverted 
cross;  or  to  speak  of  Paul  at  Caesarea,  on  Mars* 
Hill,  and  at  Rome,  declaring  salvation  by  the  cross, 
and  sealing  his  testimony  with  his  blood  on  the 
old  Ostian  road;  or  of  John  walking  softly  with 
Christ,  speaking  brave  words  for  Him  in  the  very 
shadow  of  Diana's  temple,  and  hiding  in  His 
bosom  in  the  loneliness  of  Patmos,  going  thence 
into  heaven ;  or  even  to  repeat  the  names  of  men 
who,  since  Revelation  closed,  abode  in  restfulness 
when  storms  were  abroad,  gained  the  ascendency 
over   sin,  went  up  to  the  summits  of  holy  com- 


Christ's  Gifts  259 

munion,  and  died  in  the  triumphs  of  faith — all 
through  the  efficacious  grace  of  Christ  who  said, 
''  Not  as  the  world  giveth  give  I  unto  you." 

3.  Christ  gives  abundantly.  The  world's  gifts 
are  meagre  and  few.  The  world  is  selfish.  When 
it  gives,  it  is  with  the  expectation  of  a  return ;  and, 
distrustful  because  unworthy  of  trust,  it  doles  out 
its  gifts  with  a  sparing  -hand.  The  charity  which 
ministers  to  suffering  is  ordinarily  Christian. 
The  John  Falks,  Immanuel  Wicherns,  and  George 
Miillers  of  all  the  ages,  have  received  the  spirit  of 
Christ  and  wrought  in  His  name. 

The  world  recompenses  labor,  and  yet  its  re- 
wards, viewed  in  the  light  of  another  world,  are 
scarce  deserving  the  name.  What  are  wealth,  po- 
sition, and  power,  to  men  passing  to  eternity? 
How  much  happier  think  you  is  the  millionaire 
than  the  peasant  ?  the  president  than  the  treasury 
clerk  ?  Then  too  if  the  world  gives  one  good,  it 
denies  another.  Its  benevolence  expends  itself 
along  a  single  channel;  or,  at  most,  embraces  a 
narrow  compass.  It  gives  Samuel  Johnson  a  name 
which  all  revere,  but  assigns  him  lodgings  on  an 
attic,  and  harasses  him  with  perpetual  debts.  It 
makes  Beaconfield  prime  minister  of  England, 
then  suffers  him  to  be  hunted  out  of  the  world  as  if 
he  were  a  beast  of  prey. 

But  Jesus  gives  abundantly.  In  Him,  and  for 
us,  all  fullness  dwells.  If  we  are  Christians,  our 
heritage  embraces  earth  and  heaven.     No  good 


260  Christ's    Valedictory 

thing  does  God  withhold  from  them  that  walk  up- 
rightly. He  sends  us  rain  and  fruitful  seasons,  and 
fills  our  hearts  with  food  and  gladness.  For  us  He 
made  the  sun  to  reveal  our  homeward  passage,  and 
the  lesser  lights  to  relieve  the  night.  For  us  He 
spread  the  beautiful  landscape,  set  the  mountains 
in  their  places,  and  bounded  all  with  the  azure 
sky;  giving  to  the  humblest  of  us  a  propriety 
in  these  equal  to  that  of  the  greatest.  His  ex- 
uberant bounty  crowns  our  years  with  goodness, 
and  His  going  before  drops  fatness.  He  even 
grants  when  He  denies,  and  gives  when  He  takes 
away. 

Then,  as  respects  spiritual  blessings,  all  things 
are  ours.  Peace  embraces  every  good.  It  is  like 
the  holiness  of  God,  which  is  not  an  attribute,  but 
the  sum  of  divine  perfections.  Christ  is  made 
unto  us  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification  and 
redemption.  From  His  fullness  we  all  receive,  and 
grace  for  grace.  He  came  into  the  world  that  we 
might  have  life,  and  have  it  more  abundantly.  He 
descended  to  our  poverty  that  He  might  lift  us  up 
to  His  infinite  wealth.  All  His  providences  work 
together  for  our  good.  All  earthly  powers  are  nurs- 
ing fathers  or  nursing  mothers  to  the  church.  All 
the  appointments  of  His  house  have  reference  to 
our  good  ;  and  the  ministry  are  our  servants  for 
Jesus'  sake.  Listen,  beloved,  how  blessed  and 
far-reaching  the  word,  ''  All  things  are  yours, 
whether  Paul,  or  ApoUos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world, 


Christ's  Gifts  261 

or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or  things  to 
come;  all  are  yours."  '<  For  not  as  the  world 
giveth  give  I  unto  you." 

4.  Christ  gives  continuously.  The  world's 
benevolence  is  at  best  spasmodic.  It  may  start  us 
on  our  journey,  and  then,  when  robbed  and 
wounded,  like  Priest  and  Levite  it  may  pass  us 
unfeelingly  by.  It  may  also  deify  a  favorite,  mak- 
ing his  march  through  the  land  an  imperial  pageant, 
and  then  a  little  later  cast  him  off  with  loathing. 
But  if  love  do  not  turn  to  hate,  beneficence  may 
be  followed  by  indifference;  a  desert  stretch  be- 
yond the  grateful  Elim.  The  world's  gifts  are  like 
the  tide,  which  flows  only  to  ebb ;  or  as  the  sum- 
mer trees,  which  bloom  but  to  wither  and  die.  It 
is  not  so  with  Christ.  His  gifts  come  to  us  in  a 
continuous  flow.  The  first  is  prophetic  of  all  the 
rest.  It  is  like  the  gateway  to  Oriental  gardens, 
trees  and  flowers  extending  thence  in  long  per- 
spective far  beyond  the  range  of  human  sight.  A 
thoughtless  word,  an  inconsiderate  act,  or  a  mis- 
interpreted look,  may  break  the  friendship  we 
thought  enduring.  But  nothing  shall  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  Christ.  Whether  we  wake  or 
sleep,  whether  we  labor  or  rest,  whether  we  live  or 
die,  Jesus'  gifts  continually  crowd  upon  each  other, 
as  the  waves  of  the  sea.  We  may  forget  Him,  but 
He  will  never  be  unmindful  of  us.  We  may  wan- 
der from  Him,  but  His  hand  will  bring  us  back. 
We  may  give  our  hearts  to  other  lovers,  but  He 


262  Christ's    Valedictory 

will  again  win  an  entrance,  gently  saying,  "  Behold 
I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock." 

Our  wants  are  ever  recurring.  The  supply  of 
yesterday  only  met  yesterday's  needs.  To-day 
our  emptiness  appeals  to  His  fullness,  and  lo  !  our 
cup  runneth  over.  He  does  not  anticipate,  but  He 
always  provides.  Never  has  He  failed  to  keep  His 
royal  word,  <*  As  thy  day  so  thy  strength  shall  be." 
"Even  down  to  old  age  I  am  He;  and  to  hoary 
hairs  I  will  carry  thee." 

You  go  to  the  land  called  holy,  and  urge  your 
way  toward  the  Jordan.  Beyond  the  barren  hills 
you  have  crossed  there  once  stood  the  city  of  palm 
trees.  Its  walls  were  high,  its  gates  were  strong, 
and  its  long  avenues  were  lined  with  the  dwellings 
of  the  great  and  the  cottages  of  the  humble.  Here 
were  jostling  multitudes  crowding  the  market- 
places. Yonder,  sympathizing  men  dropped  their 
alms  into  Bartimeus'  hand,  and  further  on,  the  op- 
pressed quarrelled  with  Zaccheus  the  tax-gatherer. 
But  the  glory  has  long  since  departed,  and  where 
stood  the  once  populous  city  there  is  now  a  lonely 
tower,  from  which  you  look  out  on  a  desolate  plain, 
the  stillness  broken  only  by  the  tread  of  some 
marauding  Bedouin,  or  the  mournful  cooing  of  the 
turtle  dove.  You  pass  thence  to  the  Jordan,  and 
lo  !  it  is  unchanged,  amid  universal  decay  it  is 
flowing  down  the  old  channel,  and  looking  just  as 
it  did  when  Israel  crossed  it,  or  Jesus  lingered  by 
its   shore,  suggesting   the  ever  flowing  bounty  of 


Christ's  Gifts  263 

Christ,  and  His  own  memorable  saying,  <'Not  as 
the  world  giveth  give  I  unto  you. ' ' 

5.  Christ  gives  eternally.  Not  only  does  His 
beneficence  reach  through  all  our  earthly  stay,  but 
on  through  the  endless  years.  The  world  may 
serve  us  while  we  live.  It  may  even  grant  us  a 
posthumous  fame.  But  its  meagre  gifts  are  eventu- 
ally withdrawn.  It  has  never  discovered  a  passage 
across  the  boundary  of  time,  nor  cared  to  extend 
its  ministry  beyond  it.  It  can  only  give  a  sepul- 
chre, and  mark  it  with  a  perishable  stone.  The 
old  philosophies  ministered  to  the  religious  life. 
They  did  something  to  elevate  men's  thoughts,  en- 
large their  being,  and  support  them  in  trouble. 
But,  at  death,  they  and  their  disciples  parted  com- 
pany ;  and  the  latter,  unattended,  groped  their  way 
into  the  mysterious  beyond.  Modern  infidelity  has 
given  to  men  a  temporary  quiet  by  veiling  futurity, 
and  setting  false  lights  along  the  way ;  but  it  has 
only  aggravated  the  horrors  of  dissolution,  and,  with 
rough  hand,  thrust  the  soul  into  a  yawning  abyss. 

But  the  gifts  of  God  are  without  repentance. 
The  immutable  giver  never  changes  His  mind. 
Hence,  if  He  chooses  us  as  His  friends,  He  unites 
us  to  Himself  by  His  own  eternity.  The  fullness 
of  blessing  is  reserved  for  the  life  to  come.  He 
gives  now  as  we  can  bear.  Then,  our  capacities 
shall  be  immeasurably  enlarged,  and  His  bounty 
correspondingly  increased.  When  we  shall  have 
gone  home,  the  Saviour  meeting  us  at  the  gate  shall 


264  Christ's  Valedictory 

say  to  each  of  us,  "  Thou  art  ever  with  Me,  and 
all  that  I  have  is  thine."  We  shall  not  only  be- 
hold His  glory,  but  we  shall  enter  into  it,  and 
abide.  Standing  amid  the  radiancy  of  the 
heavenly  life,  ^^sus  shall  keep  His  word,  ''  Thy 
sun  shall  no  more  go  down."  Led  by  His  own 
hand  to  the  fountains  of  living  waters,  we  shall 
drink  and  thirst  no  more.  Seated  with  Him, 
clothed  in  the  white  linen  of  His  saints,  our  gar- 
ments shall  never  wear  out,  and  sin  shall  never 
pollute  them  with  its  touch.  Possessors  of  a  king- 
dom, our  title  to  it  shall  never  be  questioned  ;  and 
our  propriety  in  it  shall  never  end.  Christ's  divin- 
ity, having  embraced  our  humanity,  has  lifted  it 
up  into  his  own  eternity ;  and  the  infinite  sacrifice 
of  Calvary  has  purchased  for  us  all  the  wealth  of 
the  world  on  high.  And  even  now,  as  with  these 
dim  eyes  we  contemplate  that  which  awaits  us,  we 
can  say  with  David  who,  from  the  slopes  of  Zion, 
gazed  into  heaven ;  ''  In  Thy  presence  is  fullness  of 
joy,  and  at  Thy  right  hand  are  pleasures  forever- 
more."  Ah,  well  did  Jesus  say,  "Not  as  the 
world  giveth  give  I  unto  you." 

And  now,  to  conclude,  let  me  suggest,  that  Chris- 
tians should  be  comforted.  Having  directed  the 
attention  of  His  disciples  to  the  fullness  of  His 
bounty,  and  the  glory  reserved  for  them,  Jesus 
added  this  tender  word,  "Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled,  neither  let  it  be  afraid."  The  lesson  He 
would  have  us  draw  from  His  affectionate  farewell 


Christ's  Gifts  265 

is  one  of  quiet  trust.  Jesus  is  always  present,  and 
ever  caring  for  us.  No  matter  how  humble  we 
are,  how  imperfect  and  unworthy.  His  heart  is  set 
upon  us  as  if  we  were  equal  to  the  angels,  and  as 
the  hours  go  by,  and  the  days  drop  from  the  calen- 
dar of  the  year,  He  is  always  sitting  at  the  loom 
of  His  providence,  arranging  the  threads,  casting 
the  shuttle,  and  so  employing  our  affections  and 
our  joys,  that  they  shall  work  out  for  us  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory. 

Then  surely  our  minds  should  be  at  rest.  Let 
troubles  come,  plans  be  thwarted,  projects  crossed. 
Let  disease  weaken,  violence  smite,  persecutions 
crowd  upon  us.  Let  the  dearest  relationships  of 
life  be  severed,  friend  after  friend  depart,  and 
funeral  dirges  fill  the  air.  Yet,  since  Christ  is  our 
refuge,  we  should  not  complain.  Let  us  wipe 
away  our  tears  that  we  may  see  His  face ;  and  lean 
on  His  arm  that  we  may  have  the  support  of  His 
power ;  and  bend  our  wills  that  we  may  rest  in  His 
bosom. 

It  is  often  otherwise.  Jesus  has  occasion  to  say  to 
us,  as  Jonadab  said  to  Amnon,  "  Why  art  thou  lean 
from  day  to  day,  being  the  king's  son?"  Why 
have  we  so  little  faith,  and  trust,  and  holy  quiet- 
ness, on  the  way  to  God ;  since  Christ's  resources 
are  infinite,  and  His  grace  is  free  ? 

Many,  in  these  latter  days,  have  known  the  rest- 
fulness  of  implicit  trust,  as  did  Isaac  Watts,  who 
could  say,  ''  I  thank  God  I  can  lie  down  with  com- 


2f?6  Christ's    Valedictory 

fort  at  night,  not  being  solicitous  whether  I  wake 
in  this  world  or  the  next;  "  as  did  pious  Living- 
stone, amid  the  jungles  of  Africa,  who,  with  a 
cheery  voice  bade  his  servant  depart,  even  when 
night  and  pain  were  come,  longing  to  be  alone  with 
Jesus ;  as  did  certain  occupants  of  the  Tower  of 
London,  who,  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake, 
were  happy,  having  received  this  message  from 
Him  whom  they  loved,  "  My  peace  I  give  unto 
you ;  not  as  the  world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you." 

Soul  out  of  Christ,  a  word  to  you  !  The  in- 
heritance of  the  believer  may  be  yours.  **  Whoso- 
ever will,  let  him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely." 
Trust  in  Him.  Confess  Him  before  men.  Walk 
in  His  steps.  Then  shall  you  know  the  peace 
which  passeth  understanding.  May  the  Holy 
Spirit  help  you  now  to  believe  and  obey ;  that  you 
may  learn  the  fullness  of  Christ,  and  hve  forever. 


CHRIST'S  RETURN  TO  THE  FATHER  AN 
OCCASION  OF  REJOICING 


ye  have  heard  how  I  said  unto  you^  I  go  away,  and  come 
again  unto  you.  If  ye  laved  Me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because 
I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father  :  for  My  Father  is  greater  than 
I.  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that 
when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  might  believe. — JOHN  xiv.  28,  29. 

Through  the  open  gates,  up  the  golden  streets  the  triumphal 
procession  sweeps,  while  all  heaven  rings  with  joyful  accla- 
mations, till  the  man  who  was  crowned  with  thorns — the 
man  who  was  spit  upon  and  buffeted — the  man  who  was 
scourged  and  crucified,  takes  His  place  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  Majesty  on  high,  henceforth  to  wear  on  that  once  thorn- 
crowned  brow  the  diadem  which  becomes  the  Sovereign  of 
all  the  worlds,  and  that  nail-pierced  hand  to  wield  the  rod 
of  power — the  sceptre  of  universal  dominion, — Rev.  Wm. 
Landels. 


XVI 

CHRIST'S  RETURN  TO  THE  FATHER  AN 
OCCASION  OF  REJOICING 

There  is  a  noticeable  delicacy  in  the  terms 
Christ  employs  to  indicate  His  death.  The  dis- 
ciples could  not  have  borne  any  reference  to  His 
crucifixion.  To  have  put  their  fears  into  words 
would  have  greatly  intensified  their  pain.  Hence 
Christ  makes  no  allusion  to  the  cross.  He  leads 
their  thoughts  beyond  it,  to  His  return  to  the  hap- 
pier world  whence  He  came. 

There  is  an  art  in  putting  things  we  do  well  to 
study.  When  Paul  wrote  to  the  Philippians,  the 
shadow  of  the  executioner's  block  even  then  on  his 
path,  he  spake  not  of  his  cruel  taking  off,  but  of 
his  departure  to  be  with  Christ.  When  the  pious 
Scot,  fitly  described  in  the  Cotter's  Saturday 
Night,  closed  the  well-worn  Bible,  uttered  his  last 
Amen,  and  was  borne  to  the  churchyard ;  his 
family  said,  '*  he  had  gone  away."  Beautiful 
description  of  the  earth-leaving  and  the  home- 
going. 

Then,  too,  our  Saviour  had  intimated  that  the 
going  away  would  be  a  preparation  for  His  return. 
The  sun  of  His  earthly  life,  about  to  set,  will  rise 
269 


270  Christ's    Valedictory 

again  in  greater  splendor ;  and  these  disciples  shall 
enjoy  the  light  and  share  the  glory.  They  had 
heard  Him  say,  ''I  go  away,  and  come  again  unto 
you."  Their  thoughts  dwell  only  on  the  going. 
He  would  have  them  think  of  the  '<  coming  in 
power  and  in  glory." 

Moreover,  Christ  had  spoken  of  His  going  so 
that  they  might  in  some  measure  be  prepared  for 
it,  and  not  stagger  with  unbeHef  under  an  unex- 
pected loss ;  their  faith  in  Him  meanwhile  support- 
ing them  in  their  sorrow  by  the  remembrance  that 
His  omniscience  had  foretold  it.  He  led  them  into 
the  subdued  and  solemn  twilight,  that  they  might 
enter  more  quietly  into  the  night,  carrying  with 
them  the  confident  hope  of  a  morning  of  joy  whose 
sun  shall  never  go  down.  In  all  that,  Christ's  love 
found  expression. 

Then  what  a  field  of  thought  is  opened  by  the 
words  that  follow.  ''If  ye  loved  Me,  ye  would  re- 
joice because  I  said,  I  go  unto  the  Father."  The 
disciples  might  have  asked,  **  Is  not  our  own  sor- 
row a  token  of  love?  Is  it  not  the  depth  and 
tenderness  of  our  affection  for  our  Lord  that  makes 
His  departure  from  us  a  crushing  blow?  What  at 
all  befitting  so  sad  an  event  as  memory  and  tears  ?  ' ' 

When  our  loved  ones  die  in  the  Lord,  we  fall 
into  the  same  error.  The  ancient  Church  sang  the 
''Te  Deum  Laudamus "  at  the  funerals  of  the 
saints.  They  thought  it  a  time  to  praise  God  who 
had  given  believers  the  victory  over  sin  and  their 


Christ's  Return  to  the  Father    271 

last  enemy,  and  had  put  on  their  heads  the  fadeless 
crown.  Why  should  we  wear  the  scarf  of  mourn- 
ing, and  the  weeds  of  widowhood,  in  memory  of 
our  departed  friends ;  and  go  weeping  through  all 
the  days,  while  angels  are  singing  the  glad  welcome 
home,  and  heaven  is  laying  its  treasures  at  their 
feet? 

When  we  come,  for  example,  to  the  Memorial 
Supper,  our  thoughts  naturally  turn  to  the  cross. 
We  call  up  the  tragic  scene  of  Calvary  j  listen  to 
the  sound  of  hammers  driving  the  nails  j  see  the 
crown  of  thorns  piercing  the  sacred  brow;  hear 
the  agonizing  cry  of  the  crucified  Redeemer ;  bow 
in  the  darkness  of  an  unnatural  night ;  while  the 
earth  rocks  and  rends,  and  the  universe  seems  on 
the  verge  of  chaos.  But  let  not  this  be  the  exclu- 
sive subject  of  mediation.  Hear  we  not  the  voice 
of  Jesus  when  we  sit  beside  the  now  empty  cross, 
<'If  ye  loved  Me,  ye  would  rejoice,  because  I  go 
unto  the  Father." 

Let  us  notice  some  special  reasons  for  rejoicing 
in  Christ's  departure. 

I.  It  terminated  the  period  of  His  humiliation. 
The  glory  of  His  divine  nature  had  been  veiled 
ever  since  its  union  with  the  babe  in  Bethlehem. 
The  nation,  to  which  in  His  humanity  He  belonged, 
knew  Him  not.  They  had  not  penetrated  the  out- 
ward human  form,  and  beheld  the  Shekinah  within. 
They  turned  their  faces  from  Him.  He  was  the 
object  of  their  contumely,  cruelty  and  scorn.     He 


272  Christ's   Valedictory 

was  subject  to  the  miseries  of  this  life ;  to  hunger, 
thirst,  weariness,  poverty,  bereavement,  and  the 
pains  of  the  cross,  and,  after  all  this,  to  the  impo- 
tency  of  the  grave. 

Shall  we  not  rejoice  that  He  who  was  reviled, 
persecuted,  and  slain,  has  ascended  to  the  Father  ? 
Recall  the  inspired  description  of  that  return.  The 
angels  came  to  meet  Him  in  His  home-passage ;  a 
heavenly  host,  great  as  that  which  heralded  His 
birth,  hovering  by  night  over  the  Bethlehem  plain. 
And  as  they,  returning,  approach  the  metropolis  of 
the  universe,  far  above  these  visible  heavens,  they 
shout  their  command  to  the  everlasting  gates,  ''  Be 
lifted  up  that  the  King  of  Glory  may  come  in ;  " 
and  amid  the  joyful  acclamations  of  the  waiting 
multitude  which  no  man  can  number,  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  strong  and  mighty  in  battle,  goes  trium- 
phantly in. 

For  three  and  thirty  years,  according  to  our 
measurement  of  time.  He  had  been  absent.  Scarce 
any  report  has  come  to  that  upper  world  except 
such  as  told  of  His  suffering,  sorrow  and  shame. 
Now  His  work  is  accomplished.  He  has  returned 
bearing  captivity  captive.  Heaven  extends  its 
boundary  line  that  it  may  add  another  province  to 
its  possessions,  and  the  already  glorified  saints, 
trophies  of  the  Saviour's  grace,  a  part  of  the  great 
company  of  the  redeemed,  listen  with  joyfulness  to 
the  steps  of  countless  millions  coming  after.  Ah  ! 
shall  we  not  be  content  to  a  separation  which  ex- 


Christ's  Return  to  the  Father     273 

tends  though  but  the  ''little  while,"  that  Christ 
may  be  with  the  Father  ? 

This  implies  Christ's  reinstatement  in  glory. 
He  resumed  the  honor  He  had  with  the  Father 
before  He  voluntarily  resigned  it  in  the  interests 
of  our  redemption.  We  here  recall  His  repeated 
statements  respecting  His  oneness  with  the  Father. 
And  now,  when  He  says,  "  My  Father  is  greater 
than  I,"  He  does  not  intend  any  essential  in- 
feriority on  His  own  part,  but  speaks  as  the  Son 
of  Man.  The  reference  is  to  condition,  not  to 
nature.  The  Athanasian  Creed,  of  the  fourth 
century,  contains  this  concise  and  scriptural  clause 
relating  to  the  person  of  our  Lord;  ''equal  as 
touching  His  Godhead ;  inferior  as  touching  His 
manhood."  The  Nicene  Creed  repeats  it,  as,  in 
substance,  have  all  the  doctrinal  formulas  of  the 
Christian  Church  for  over  eighteen  centuries.  If 
we  keep  in  mind  the  union  of  the  divine  and  hu- 
man natures  of  Christ,  or  what  is  termed  by  the- 
ologians, the  hypostatical  union ;  we  shall  have  no 
difficulty  in  harmonizing  this  statement  with  those 
which  affirm  the  Godhead  of  Christ,  in  support  of 
which  the  gospel  of  John  was  written ;  a  view 
abundantly  confirmed  by  the  titles  given  to  Christ, 
the  perfections  ascribed  to  Him,  the  works  He  per- 
formed, and  the  worship  He  received.  The  proper, 
personal  divinity,  or  Godhead  of  our  Saviour  is  a 
fundamental  truth  of  the  Christian  system,  which 
carries  with  it  every  doctrine  essential  to  salvation. 


274  Christ's    Valedictory 

As  the  equal  in  power  and  glory  of  the  Father, 
Christ  returned  to  His  place  in  heaven. 

How  great  must  have  been  the  admiration  of 
angels,  and  the  joy  of  saints,  when  Christ  resumed 
His  seat  on  the  throne,  crowned  with  glory  !  Now 
His  Godhead  shines  forth  in  all  its  original  splen- 
dor. As  the  sun  may  be  eclipsed  by  some  inferior 
world,  so  Christ's  glory  had  been  obscured  by  His 
humanity.  But  the  now  spiritualized  body  does 
not  intercept  the  radiance  of  the  divinity  it  en- 
shrines. When  He  walked  the  country  road  on 
the  day  of  His  resurrection,  with  two  of  His  dis- 
ciples, He  intimated  that  His  suffering  was  to  be 
succeeded  by  glory.  But  they  had  no  conception 
of  what  awaited  Him ;  nor  had  the  five  hundred 
believers  after  He  had  gone;  nor  have  we,  with 
the  increasing  light  of  the  ages.  Under  the  tuition 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  who,  through  the  Scriptures,  is 
always  unfolding  the  excellency  of  Christ,  we 
ought  to  know  more  concerning  the  exalted  Re- 
deemer than  those  who  witnessed  His  ascension. 
But  His  attributes  of  majesty  far  transcend  our 
comprehension.  We  have  come  to  the  margin 
only.  Yet  we  know  enough  to  be  thankful  that 
Christ  has  returned  to  the  Father,  escaping  the 
conditions  of  sorrow  and  shame  which  surrounded 
Him  here,  and  entering  into  His  glory.  No  doubt 
that  to  the  disciples  who  witnessed  His  departure, 
— the  opening  heavens  preparing  a  highway  for 
His   home-going, — some   revelation   of  His  glory 


Christ's  Return  to  the  Father     275 

was  made,  accounting  for  the  statement  that  they 
returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great  joy.  They  loved 
their  Lord,  and,  at  last,  rejoiced  in  His  return  to 
the  Father. 

2.  The  glorification  of  Christ's  human  nature 
was  connected  with  His  ascension.  It  was  not  His 
divine  nature  only  that  ascended.  He  did  not, 
somewhere  along  the  line  of  His  return,  drop  off 
His  human  form,  as  the  ascending  Tishbite  dropped 
his  mantle,  nor  did  He  remand  it  to  non-exist- 
ence. When  He  assumed  our  nature  it  was  to  re- 
tain it  forever.  It  was  the  divine-human  Christ 
who  went  up  from  Olivet  with  a  shout,  and  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet.  And  now,  the  humanity  He 
had  wrapped  about  His  divinity  is  glorified. 

The  resurrection  body  of  our  Lord  was  greatly 
changed  even  before  His  departure.  Limitations 
which  had  previously  existed  were  removed.  New 
properties  took  the  places  of  the  old.  The  laws  of 
nature  yielded  to  the  authority  of  His  will.  Solid 
substances  were  no  barrier  to  His  movements.  He 
was  visible  and  invisible  at  pleasure.  He  talked  with 
His  disciples,  they  recognized  Him,  touched  His  per- 
son, listened  to  His  familiar  voice.  Then,  when  it 
pleased  Him,  He  suddenly  vanished  from  their  sight. 
But  the  glorification  of  His  resurrection  body  took 
place  on  His  return  to  the  Father.  What  was  in- 
volved therein  is  not  revealed.  But  it  was  such  a 
change  as  fitted  it  for  its  new  conditions.  The  hu- 
man nature  was  not  deified,  but  it  was  exalted  in 


276  Christ's    Valedictory 

glory  far  above  all  principalities  and  powers ;  and 
although  the  resurrection  bodies  of  the  saints  shall 
be  fashioned  like  unto  His  body,  still  the  glory  of 
His  shall  far  excel.  As  in  our  visible  heavens,  one 
star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory,  so  doubt- 
less shall  the  future  bodies  of  the  redeemed ;  but 
Christ,  in  respect  to  His  human  nature,  shall  ever 
be  the  bright  and  morning  star,  in  degree  trans- 
cending in  glory  all  the  subjects  of  His  grace,  and 
yet  a  type  of  all  believers,  however  bent  with 
sorrow  here,  or  deformed  by  disease,  or  mutilated 
by  violence;  their  persons  ultimately  clothed  in 
beauty,  and  invested  with  power,  shining  with  a 
splendor  above  that  of  the  sun.  No  wonder  that 
Jesus,  anticipating  the  glorification  of  His  human- 
ity, said  to  His  disciples,  **If  ye  loved  Me,  ye 
would  rejoice,  because  I  go  unto  the  Father." 

3.  There  is  also  to  be  added,  the  Mediatorial 
glory  of  Christ.  Then  all  power  was  given  unto 
Him  in  heaven  and  on  earth.  He  was  announced 
as  King  in  Zion.  In  His  hand  was  placed  the 
sceptre  of  universal  dominion.  His  official  dignity 
set  Him  above  all  heavens.  There,  too,  as  our 
Priest,  He  lives  to  present  His  sacrifice  in  our  be- 
half. '<  Wherefore,"  says  Paul,  "He  is  able  to 
save  unto  the  uttermost  all  who  come  unto  God  by 
Him."  The  ultimate  perfection  and  coronation  of 
all  His  people  is  assured ;  for  He  shall  accomplish 
all  His  holy  will,  fulfill  every  promise,  and  realize 
every  hope  which  cheers  our  night-passage  home. 


Christ's  Return  to  the  Father     277 

It  is  pleasant  reflection,  beloved,  that  although 
Christ,  as  the  God-man,  has  returned  to  the  Father, 
there  to  abide  forever,  yet  He  remains  the  same 
sympathizing,  helpful  Saviour,  through  all  the 
years  of  His  bodily  separation  from  us.  Never  for 
a  moment  has  He  forgotten  Calvary,  or  even  the 
humblest  for  whom  He  died.  He  is,  moreover, 
spiritually  present  every  hour.  He  will  minister  to 
us,  as  to  all  the  generations  of  the  faithful  past, 
meeting  all  our  need,  supporting  us  by  His  strength, 
guiding  us  by  His  counsel,  comforting  us  by  ex- 
pressions of  His  love,  and  assurances  of  an  abun- 
dant entrance  into  His  kingdom,  when  a  few  more 
years  shall  have  hastened  by. 

It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  Christ's  re- 
turn to  the  Father  was  necessary  for  us.  Without 
it  the  Comforter,  in  the  larger  manifestations  of 
Himself,  ccald  not  have  come;  the  spiritual  life 
of  believer'i  would  have  been  languid  ;  the  advance 
of  the  church  would  have  been  slow ;  and  the  sal- 
vation of  the  world,  if  ever  accomplished,  would 
have  been  set  far  down  in  the  depths  of  the  ages. 
Hence  Jesus  said,  ''It  is  expedient  for  you  that  I 
go  away."  Thus,  in  the  economy  of  redemption, 
it  had  been  ordered. 

Moreover,  we  needed  an  intercessor  in  heaven ; 
an  advocate  with  the  Father ;  a  representative  of 
the  church;  an  almighty,  ever-prevalent,  never- 
forgetful  friend ;  to  make  ready  for  our  coming 
and  introduction  into  everlasting  joy. 


278  Christ's    Valedictory 

In  view  of  all  this  we  do  not  wonder  at  the 
words  of  Jesus;  "If  ye  loved  Me,  ye  would  have 
rejoiced."  The  statement  is  comparative.  Jesus 
was  assured  of  their  love  to  Himself.  Concerning 
this,  not  even  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  ever  crossed 
His  mind,  even  when  they  seemed  most  indifferent 
to  Him.  But  if  they  had  fully  believed  what,  in 
His  endeavor  to  comfort  them  and  to  reveal  the 
glory  of  the  nearing  future,  He  had  said  to  them ; 
and  if  their  love  had  been  a  stronger,  more  self- 
controlling  principle ;  then  they  would  have  rejoiced 
in  view  of  His  return  to  the  Father. 

1.  This  discussion  suggests  several  facts  in 
Christian  experience.  We  are  slow  of  heart  to  be- 
lieve. We  recognize  our  kinship  with  the  disciples. 
As  they  failed  to  draw  from  the  words  of  Jesus,  so 
full  of  sympathy,  and  love,  and  promise,  the  les- 
sons they  were  designed  to  convey ;  words  which 
should  have  turned  their  lamentations  into  praises, 
and  their  sorrow  into  joy ;  so  we  are  slow  to  com- 
prehend and  believe  the  promises  of  the  gospel,  its 
revelation  of  glory,  and  its  expressions  of  unfalter- 
ing love;  and  we  go  weeping  along  the  way  that 
leads  us  home,  even  into  the  shadow  of  the  portal 
which  admits  us  to  His  presence.  We  need  to 
meditate  more  profoundly  on  the  Word  of  God, 
that  we  may  discover  its  meaning,  and  learn  its 
power ;  and  to  offer  the  prayer  of  one  in  Christ's 
day,  ''Lord  I  believe,  help  Thou  my  unbeHef." 

2.  We   should   cultivate   a  more  disinterested 


Christ's  Return  to  the  Father     279 

love.  This  is  the  source  of  the  serenest  joy.  To 
be  filled  with  love  to  Christ  is  to  exclude  selfish- 
ness, self-seeking,  and  forgetfulness  of  others'  good. 
The  sorrow  of  the  disciples  was  induced  by  a  sense 
of  personal  loss.  They  thought  not  of  Christ's 
gain.  The  gates  of  heaven  were  open,  the  throne 
waited,  the  glory  lingered  for  the  Man  of  Sorrows, 
who  was,  and  is,  and  ever  shall  be,  the  joy  of 
heaven.  A  stronger  love  would  have  dried  their 
tears,  and  filled  them  with  joy  in  view  of  the  good 
that  awaited  their  Lord.  Love  is  its  own  recom- 
pense. The  Good  Samaritan  knew  its  reward ;  the 
Priest  and  Levite  were  strangers  to  it.  Lazarus  in 
his  rags  was  happier  than  Dives  in  his  purple. 
Love  to  Christ  and  His  people  mellows  character; 
gives  sweetness  to  the  voice ;  imparts  beauty  to  the 
plainest  face ;  makes  the  world  better.  <*  With  it," 
as  some  one  has  said,  "the  heart  becomes  a  fair 
and  fertile  garden,  with  sunshine  and  warm  hues, 
and  exhaling  sweet  odors ;  without  it,  it  is  a  bleak 
desert,  covered  with  ashes."  O  for  more  love  to 
Christ !  On  bended  knees  let  us  seek  it.  It  is  the 
grace  which  outshines  all  other  graces  and  draws 
them  after  it.     "  Covet  the  best  gifts." 

3.  We  should  not  mourn  for  departed  saints. 
What  an  incongruous  sight ;  our  beloved  crowned 
with  glory,  and  we  bent  with  sorrow.  Heaven 
ringing  with  songs,  and  we  filling  the  night  with 
sobs.  Jesus  said  to  the  widow  at  Nain,  "Weep 
not. ' '     He  rebukes  our  inordinate  grief.     Let  faith 


280  Christ's    Valedictory 

do  its  office  work,  passing  through  and  beyond 
these  darkened  skies,  away  to  the  glory  to  be  here- 
after revealed,  and  witness  the  entrance  of  believers 
into  the  joys  of  an  endless  life ;  no  more  to  suffer, 
no  more  to  die ;  the  tendrils  of  their  love  still  en- 
twining us ;  and  their  hearts  rejoicing  in  the  pros- 
pect of  welcoming  us  to  their  home  and  ours ;  and 
then,  if  we  dry  not  our  tears  and  praise  God  for 
their  entrance  into  glory,  perchance  we  shall  hear 
a  message,  carrying  with  it  a  gentle  rebuke;  '*If 
ye  loved  Me,  ye  would  rejoice  because  I  have  re- 
turned to  the  Father." 


ON  TO  GOLGOTHA 


Hereafter  I  will  not  talk  much  with  you  :  for  the  prince 
of  this  world  cometh,  and  hath  nothing  in  Me.  But  that 
the  world  may  know  that  I  love  the  Father ;  and  as  the 
Father  gave  Me  com?nandment,  even  so  I  do.  Arise,  let  us 
go  hence. — John  xiv.  30,  31. 

He  goes  to  die  a  sacrifice,  out  of  love  to  mankind,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  Divine  will,  and  with  unshaken  courage.  All 
our  actions  should  be  for?ned  on  this  plan.  They  should  have 
the  love  of  God  and  man  for  their  principle  and  motive  ;  His 
glory  for  their  end ;  and  His  will  for  their  rule.  He  who  lives 
and  acts  thus,  shall  live  forever.    Amen. — Adam  Clarke. 


XVII 

ON  TO  GOLGOTHA 

There  are  some  who  think  that  the  first  part  of 
our  Lord's  valedictory  was  spoken  in  Bethany,  and 
that  the  Master,  with  His  disciples,  then  went  to 
Jerusalem  *^to  keep  the  passover."  After  the  Sup- 
per He  resumed  His  address,  introducing  the  illus- 
tration, drawn  from  the  vine,  of  the  spiritual  union 
subsisting  between  Himself  and  His  people.  Others 
think  that  the  portion  of  the  farewell  contained  in 
the  fourteenth  chapter  of  John,  was  delivered  in 
the  upper  room,  at  the  close  of  the  memorial  feast ; 
that  Christ  and  the  eleven  there  sang  the  Hallel, 
embraced  in  Psalms  cxvi.-cxviii.,  containing  inti- 
mations of  the  sufferings  of  the  Messiah ;  and  as 
the  last  strain,  which  was  a  recognition  of  divine 
love,  had  died  away  among  the  high  arches,  the 
little  group  descended  the  stairway,  passed  quietly 
down  the  narrow  street  and  out  of  the  city,  stop- 
ping at  intervals  on  the  slope  leading  to  the  Kedron 
valley,  while  Jesus  spoke  the  final  words  of  His 
affectionate  farewell,  and  breathed  that  wonderful 
intercessory  prayer  which,  climbing  up  through  the 
night,  reached  the  Father's  throne ;  and  that  they 
then  entered  the  gate  of  sad  Gethsemane.  Still 
others  hold  the  view  that  Christ,  having  risen  from 
283 


284  Chrisfs    Valedictory 

the  table,  continued  and  completed  His  address  in 
the  upper  chamber ;  a  vine  growing  on  the  contig- 
uous grounds,  or  some  representation  on  door  or 
chalice,  suggesting,  in  a  significant  similitude,  the 
spiritual  relations  subsisting  between  Christ  and 
His  people. 

But  the  place  of  the  utterance  is  of  little  impor- 
tance as  compared  with  the  message  itself — the 
most  remarkable  that  ever  fell  from  our  Saviour's 
lips — a  revelation  of  sympathy,  solicitude  and  love, 
unparalleled  in  any  merely  human  discourse,  and 
which  has  survived  all  the  centuries  since  it  was 
spoken. 

Christ  was  about  to  close  His  farewell  address  to 
His  disciples.  So,  at  least,  it  seemed.  He  saw  the 
prince  of  this  world  approaching,  ready  for  the  last 
dread  conflict.  He  must  not  tarry.  Farewells 
have  an  end.  The  trumpet  call  sounding  through 
the  night.  He  gathers  His  robe  about  Him  and 
says,  "  Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

I .  Observe,  first,  the  calm  and  determinate  pur- 
pose of  our  Lord.  Christ  longed  for  the  baptism 
of  death.  He  did  not  shrink  from  it  now  that  it 
was  near.  He  knew  all  that  awaited  Him.  No 
part  of  His  agony  was  concealed,  or  was  a  matter  of 
conjecture  only.  He  had  stood  on  the  margin  and 
His  vision  had  swept  the  far-off  shore.  He  had 
dropped  the  plummet  of  His  omniscience  into  its 
depths,  and  had  taken  the  measurement  no  human 
thought  could  ever  compass. 


On  to  Golgotha  285 

Perhaps  some  martyrs  would  have  shrunk  from 
the  burning,  or  the  rack,  if  they  had  known  all  the 
torture  it  would  bring.  Christ  had  walked  for 
years  in  the  shadow  of  the  cross,  and  had  antici- 
pated all  the  sorrow  that  preceded  it.  Partly  be- 
cause of  this,  there  had  been  a  tinge  of  sadness  on 
His  face,  and  a  tone  of  sadness  in  His  speech.  He 
had  felt,  also,  along  all  the  way,  the  pressure  of  the 
world's  guilt,  wretchedness  and  woe ;  and  knew 
that  only  the  cross  could  lift  it  off.  His  hour  has 
come.  Even  to-night  shall  be  the  betrayal,  the 
mock-trial,  the  denial,  the  scourging ;  and  to- 
morrow the  death. 

No  one  had  ever  known  suffering  so  great,  and 
ingratitude  so  immeasurable.  The  great  Caesar, 
wrapped  in  his  blood-stained  mantle,  died  at  the 
base  of  Pompey's  statue,  of  a  broken  heart.  The 
cruelty  of  his  friends  killed  him  ;  not  their  swords. 
The  far  more  sensitive  nature  of  Jesus  must  endure 
a  profounder  grief.  But,  standing  by  the  window 
of  that  upper  chamber,  looking  out  on  that  sorrow- 
ful way  which  leads  to  Calvary's  summit.  His 
agony  culminating  in  the  hidings  of  His  Father's 
face.  His  purpose  wavers  not.  "  Arise,  let  us  go 
hence. ' ' 

It  was  as  if  He  had  said,  ''  My  disciples,  I  have 
loved  you  with  an  everlasting  love.  Your  presence 
has  been  My  comfort,  as  Mine  has  been  your  sup- 
port. Gladly  would  I  prolong  this  sad  parting — 
this  sweet  communion,     But  it   cannot   be,     My 


286  Christ's   Valedictory 

love  to  you  urges  Me  on.  These  hands  must  be 
pierced  with  nails  before  they  can  open  the  gate  of 
heaven  for  you.  This  brow  must  wear  the  crown 
of  thorns  that  the  crown  of  glory  may  rest  forever 
on  yours.     Arise,  then,  and  let  us  go  hence." 

But  see,  a  little  while  remains.  The  passover 
moon  has  not  risen  far  above  the  brow  of  Olivet. 
And  now,  with  the  sorrowful  group  about  Him,  either 
in  the  upper  chamber  or  on  the  way,  He  breathes 
out  His  soul  in  other  words,  full  of  precious  mean- 
ing, of  measureless  love  and  yearning  desire ;  then 
enters  Gethsemane,  darkened  by  the  shade  of  the 
Olive  trees.  He  is  not  even  a  moment  late.  Truly 
He  was  faithful.  His  purpose  never  for  an  instant 
faltered.  We  may  shrink,  and  hesitate  on  the 
border  of  some  human  woe.  Origen,  Savonarola, 
Cranmer,  recanted,  yet  recovered  and  joined  the 
noble  company  of  martyrs.  But  Christ's  life,  from 
the  moment  He  became  conscious  of  His  mission, 
and  caught  a  glimpse  of  Golgotha,  was  a  continual, 
unwavering  'Agoing  hence." 

2.     The  end  in  view. 

Christ  would  finish  the  work  He  came  to  do. 
For  four  thousand  years  His  death  had  been  pre- 
dicted. To  the  Hebrew  Church  it  was  the  great 
event  of  the  ages  to  come.  They  were  forever  oc- 
cupied with  prophecies  that  centred  in  Christ ; 
with  the  theophanies  that  pointed  to  Him  ;  with  the 
sacrifices  that  foreshadowed  His  blood-shedding. 
Now  type,  prophecy,  and  symbol  are  about  to  find 


On  to  Golgotha  287 

their  full  interpretation  and  fulfillment,  in  the  death 
of  the  incarnate  God. 

The  Prince  of  this  world  has  come,  girded  for 
his  deadly  work.  The  Son  of  God  must  meet  him 
in  the  final  conflict,  and  forever  settle  the  question 
as  to  where  the  propriety  of  the  world  shall  rest — in 
Satan  or  in  Christ.  The  Prince  of  darkness  over- 
tops all  other  foes.  Inferior  enemies  are  his  ser- 
vants. Hence  Christ  does  not  speak  in  these  last 
hours  of  Judas,  Caiaphas  or  Pilate  ;  of  the  Romans 
who  shall  nail  Him  to  the  tree,  or  of  the  rabble  who 
shall  mock  His  dying  agony.  They  were  the  instru- 
ments only.  No!  *'The  Prince  of  this  world 
cometh." 

Had  we  been  there  on  that  solemn  night,  and 
had  our  eyes  been  opened  as  were  the  eyes  of 
Elisha's  servant  outside  the  Samaria  gate,  we  would 
have  seen  the  great  Adversary  marshalling  His 
forces,  and  pressing  on  to  conflict.  A  mighty 
army,  their  chariots  roll  along  the  fields  of  the  sky. 
Their  armor  reflects  the  light  of  the  Syrian  stars 
and  of  the  Passover  moon.  The  world  of  darkness 
is  deserted  that  its  power  might  be  centred  on  this 
crucial  hour.  A  little  while  hence,  and  Jesus  shall 
meet  His  enemy  and  ours,  alone  ;  His  bosom  calmly 
bared  to  the  stroke.  Soon  the  waves  of  strife  shall 
flow  all  along  the  paths  of  the  Garden,  and  sweep 
the  brow  of  Calvary.  What  shall  the  end  be? 
Shall  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  be  conquered  as 
was  the  first  ?     Shall  the  hope  of  this  weary,  wait- 


288  Christ's    Valedictory 

ing  world,  which  had  shone  at  first  as  a  single  star, 
then  as  the  clustering  Pleiades,  then  as  a  growing 
galaxy  in  the  sky,  fade  away  into  impenetrable 
night ;  or  shall  the  Galilean  triumph  ?  Shall  Satan 
and  his  hosts  be  driven  back,  and  heaven  resound 
with  hallelujahs  as  the  Son  of  Man  in  dying  con- 
quers ?     We  shall  see.     "Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

But  why  should  Christ  suffer  ?  Why  the  agony 
in  the  garden,  on  the  cross?  Has  He  sinned? 
No!  Judas  says,  "I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have 
betrayed  innocent  blood."  Is  He  guilty  of  any 
offence,  that  He  should  die  as  malefactors  die? 
No,  Pilate,  weak  and  vacillating,  dares  to  say,  ''I 
find  no  fault  in  Him."  Has  Satan  any  charge  to 
bring  against  Him,  and  does  He  claim  to  be  the  ex- 
ecutioner of  divine  wrath  ?  No  !  Shall  the  powers 
of  darkness  prevail,  truth  be  banished,  and  im- 
mortality become  a  curse ;  or  shall  Satan  be  van- 
quished by  this  lonely  Nazarene  who,  as  the 
prophet  foretold,  has  entered  the  enemy's  country, 
and  invaded  the  capital  city  of  His  nether  world  ? 

What  then  ?  Has  He  been  indiscreet  in  speech  ? 
Has  He,  without  design,  preached  great  doctrinal 
error,  or  in  an  honest  endeavor  to  be  faithful,  has 
He  unnecessarily  aroused  the  anger  of  the  Jews  ? 
Is  He  to  be  a  martyr  to  His  own  grave  mistakes  ? 
Not  so.  He  died  by  the  predetermined  counsel 
and  foreknowledge  of  God.  He  died  for  our  sins, 
not  His  own.  It  was  written  long  before  He  came, 
"AH  we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray,  and  the  Lord 


On  to  Golgotha  289 

hath  laid  upon  Him  the  iniquity  of  us  all."  Christ, 
the  sinless  one,  was  representatively  guilty.  He  is 
the  sacrifice  to  which  all  ages  pointed. 

Notice  the  Motive  which  controlled  our  Lord. 
*'That  the  world  may  know  I  love  the  Father,  and 
as  the  Father  gave  Me  commandment,  even  so  I 
do.     Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

1 .  Love  to  the  Father  led  Christ  to  the  cross. 
Speaking  out  of  the  overshadowing  cloud,  God  had 
said  of  Jesus,  by  the  shore  of  Jordan,  "This  is  My 
beloved  Son."  The  love  was  mutual;  God  and 
Christ  were  one.  Jesus  knew  the  love  of  God  to 
men.  No  one  else,  save  the  Holy  Ghost,  had  ever 
measured  it.  In  His  infinite  love  to  His  wayward 
children,  the  Father  longed  to  save  them  without 
doing  violence  to  that  law  which  was  holy,  just  and 
good.  Love  delights  to  gratify  love.  Hence 
Christ  said,  as  He  walked  calmly  toward  Calvary, 
' '  Because  I  love  the  Father,  I  go  to  My  dying. ' '  He 
knew  redemption  secured  by  blood -shedding,  with- 
out which  there  could  be  no  remission  of  sins, 
would  glorify  God,  would  declare  His  immeasure- 
able  love;  and  reveal  the  mercy  that  embraced 
truth,  and  the  righteousness  which  kissed  peace, 
meeting  on  the  steeps  of  Golgotha.  Moved  by 
love  to  the  Father,  the  hand  nailed  to  the  cross 
opened  the  way  of  return  to  Him. 

2.  Obedience.  '*  As  the  Father  gave  Me  com- 
mandment, even  so  I  do."  Obedience  is  the  ex- 
pression of  love.     It  is  a  light  even  a  joyous  bur- 


290  Christ's    Valedictory 

den,  if  love  carry  it.  It  was  the  will  of  God  that 
Christ  should  die.  He  would  open  the  way,  for 
us  sinners,  into  the  holy  place  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus.  He  had  so  declared  even  before  the  founda- 
tions of  the  world  were  laid,  and  Jesus  had  re- 
sponded, ''  Lo  I  am  come  to  do  Thy  will,  O  God." 
Now,  obedient  to  the  Father,  He  goes  forth  to  His 
crucifixion. 

By  a  word  He  might  have  destroyed  His  ene- 
mies. He  had  but  to  wave  His  hand,  and  Roman 
soldiers,  hypocritical  priests,  and  mocking  rabble 
would  have  disappeared  as  a  morning  mist.  But 
this  must  not  be.  His  pledge  to  the  Father  for- 
bade it.  The  world's  salvation,  lying  close  to  His 
heart,  forbade  it.  As  a  sheep  before  her  shearers 
is  dumb  so  He  opened  not  His  mouth.  He  al- 
lowed men  whose  being  He  supported,  to  lead  Him 
as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter.  He  was  quiet,  unre- 
sisting, *'As  the  Father  gave  Me  commandment, 
even  so  I  do." 

This  subject  is  suggestive,  i.  It  may  serve  to 
correct  misconceptions  of  God.  We  are  apt  to  as- 
sociate justice  with  the  Father,  and  love  with  the 
Son ;  to  think  God  is  severe,  stern,  and  slow  to 
forgive,  and  that  Christ,  loving  us,  and  desiring  to 
propitiate  the  Father,  sprinkled  over  the  burning 
throne  His  own  blood,  and  so  put  out  its  consum- 
ing flame.  A  great  mistake  !  God  knew  the  in- 
tegrity of  His  government  must  be  maintained,  and 
His  law  honored,  or  moral  chaos  would  sweep  the 


On  to  Golgotha  291 

universe,  and  extinguish  its  joy  forever.  The 
problem  to  be  solved  was,  how  may  the  divine 
government  be  maintained  and  sinners  saved? 
Love  discovered  the  means;  and,  to-day,  the 
church  on  earth  and  the  church  in  heaven — one 
church,  divided  for  a  Uttle  by  the  narrow  stream  of 
death — is  filled  with  wonder  and  dumb  with  sur- 
prise, as  it  contemplates  ''God's  unspeakable 
gift." 

Jesus  knew  the  Father.  He  had  been  in  the 
inner  sanctuary  of  His  incomprehensible  being; 
and,  coming  out  of  it,  down  to  our  wretchedness 
and  ruin,  He  said,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  ever- 
lasting hfe." 

2.  We  cannot  fail  to  be  impressed  by  the  un- 
changeableness  of  Christ's  love.  What  if,  when  in 
the  significant  act  of  breaking  the  bread  and  pour- 
ing out  the  wine  at  the  supper,  He  had  said, — '*  I 
came  to  My  own  and  My  own  received  Me  not.  I 
would  have  gathered  Jerusalem's  children  under 
My  sheltering  love,  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  brood 
under  her  wings,  but  they  would  not.  I  have  en- 
countered hatred,  opposition,  scorn.  Even  now, 
although  it  is  nigh  the  midnight  hour,  men  are 
plotting  for  My  life,  and  uttering  curses  that  make 
the  darkness  shudder.  I  will  go  home  to  My 
Father  and  tell  Him  that  the  world  to  which  He 
gave  Me  has  cast  Me  off,  and  that  there  is  nothing 


292  Christ's    Valedictory 

left  for  Me  but  to  return  to  Him,  and  lay  My  re- 
jected commission  down  at  His  feet."  Ah,  no  ! 
His  love  was  stronger  than  death.  Yonder  are  the 
garden,  Pilate's  Hall,  the  cross  with  its  penetrant 
nails  and  piercing  thorns,  and  unfathomable 
spiritual  woes.  Yes,  but  instead  of  turning  back 
the  moment  Calvary  stands  forth  to  His  view  in 
the  light  of  the  cold,  passionless  moon,  loving  His 
own  as  the  Father  has  loved  Him,  He  says, 
*' Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

3.  Again,  we  are  reminded  that  although 
Christ,  deserted  by  His  friends,  and  forsaken  of 
God,  died  alone ;  we  shall  not  go  hence  unattended. 
When  the  shadows  of  death  gather  about  us,  and 
our  eyes  are  dimmed  that  we  cannot  see  afar  off; 
we  shall  hear  a  voice,  grown  familiar,  quiet  and 
tender,  saying,  "Arise,  let  us  go  hence."  Then 
we  shall  feel  the  clasp  of  Christ's  hand,  and  we 
shall  go  through  death  together.  Blessed  be  God 
for  the  assurance  of  this.  Fearing  not  the  passage, 
we  shall  lift  our  heads  with  joy,  and  say,  with  the 
exiled  apostle,  "Come,  Lord  Jesus."     Amen. 


OUR  GOING  HENCE 


Arise f  let  us  go  hence, — John  xiv.  31. 

My  life  is  a  frail  life,  a  corruptible  life,  a  life  which,  the 
more  it  increaseth  the  77tore  it  decreaseth,  the  farther  it  goeth 
the  nearer  it  cometh  to  death  ;  a  deceitful  shadow,  full  of  the 
snares  of  death.  .  .  .  Oh,  joy  above  joy,  exceeding  all  joy, 
without  which  there  is  no  joy,  when  shall  I  enter  into  thee, 
that  I  may  see  my  Lord  that  dwelleth  in  thee. — AUGUSTINE. 


XVIII 
OUR  GOING  HENCE 

When  Christ  said  to  His  disciples,  ' '  Arise,  let 
us  go  hence,"  He  uttered  suggestive  words  which 
come  to  us  in  the  varied  experiences  of  life ;  and, 
rightly  heard,  stimulate  our  endeavor  to  attain  the 
greater  good  He  has  promised  to  His  own.  He 
was  about  to  lead  His  disciples  through  great  trials, 
and  out  of  them;  about  to  recompense  all  their 
pain  with  an  incomparably  greater  good ;  to  in- 
terpret something  of  the  mystery  that  had  gathered 
about  His  unique  person.  His  sorrowful  life,  and 
His  agonizing  death.  He  seems  eager  to  put  be- 
hind them  whatsoever  taxed  their  credence,  or  in- 
duced disquietude  and  fear.  He  would  conduct 
them  up  to  better  things,  and  on  to  greater  works. 
Hence  He  says,  "  Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

In  like  manner  He  addresses  us  in  these  last 
times.  As  it  was  true  of  Israel  in  the  wilderness, 
that  there  was  a  land  of  beauty,  their  own  inherit- 
ance, just  on  the  other  side  of  the  dark  Moab 
Mountains;  so  there  is  a  life  of  fellowship  with 
Jesus,  and  of  consummated  hope,  beyond  the  neces- 
sary trials  of  the  present ;  the  conflict  and  the 
pain.  Here  we  have  no  continuing  city,  but  seek 
295 


296  Christ's    Valedictory 

one  to  come.  Let  us  neither  loiter,  nor  despair. 
**  Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

I.  The  afflictions  of  life  should  lead  our 
thoughts  on  to  the  everlasting  rest.  There  is 
much  beauty  in  the  world,  much  that  is  pleasant 
in  human  relationships,  much  varied  joy  in  life  as 
the  years  hasten  by;  and,  go  where  we  may, 
sources  of  pure  delight  are  opened  to  meet  us  at 
our  coming.  But  there  is  no  argument  against 
suffering ;  no  wall  of  protection  so  high  as  to  shut 
it  out.  As  the  day,  by  an  inevitable  law  of  nature, 
declines,  and  the  sun  goes  to  its  setting,  so  the 
lights  of  life  go  out  in  darkness,  and  the  song  of 
the  heart  is  often  stilled.  True,  if  the  night  Com- 
eth, so  also  the  morning.  But  these  vicissitudes  of 
life  remind  us  that  we  have  not  yet  come  to  our  rest. 

A  state  of  discipline  is  not  the  crown  of  life. 
The  mingling  of  joy  and  sorrow,  of  good  and  evil, 
is  not  the  ultimate  will  of  God  for  us.  There  is 
something  better  beyond.  There  is.  a  land  over 
which  storms  never  gather,  on  which  shadows 
never  fall,  into  which  sorrows  never  enter.  There 
is  a  life  complete,  serene,  eternal ;  in  which  every 
want  is  supplied,  and  every  longing  satisfied.  The 
suffering  here  is  not  worthy  to  be  compared  to  the 
glory  there,  and  the  thought  of  this  should  quicken 
our  steps  homeward. 

The  patriarch  who  said  of  his  days  that  they  had 
been  few  and  evil,  waited  for  the  salvation  of  God. 
Paul,  who  suffered  greatly,  had  a  desire  to  depart 


Our  Going  Hence  29Y 

and  be  with  Christ,  which  he  esteemed  far  better. 
John,  in  his  lonely  exile,  caught  glimpses  of  the 
glory  to  be  revealed,  and  longed  to  go  where  his 
heart  and  treasures  were.  An  afflicted  state  is 
much  like  a  troubled  sea  which  gives  back  broken 
images  of  the  heaven  above  it,  but  distinct  enough 
to  suggest  the  undisturbed  serenity  of  the  life  to 
come,  and  to  awaken  yearnings  after  it;  an  en- 
treaty, low  and  affectionate,  ever  lingering  on  the 
air,  ''  Child  of  sorrow,  let  us  go  hence." 

2.  The  very  enjoyments  of  Hfe  urge  us  forward. 
They  suggest  the  larger  and  satisfying  pleasures  of 
the  world  on  high.  As  Isaac  Watts  contemplated 
the  beauties  of  nature  with  a  keen  appreciation  of  all 
the  loveliness  about  him,  he  experienced  less  a  de- 
sire to  remain  than  to  go ;  for  he  was  persuaded 
that,  since  this  world,  marred  by  sin,  was  so 
comely,  heaven  must  be  incomparably  fair.  So  it 
is  with  everything  that  contributes  to  the  dignity 
and  pleasure  of  life;  whatever  has  its  source  in 
knowledge,  in  conscious  elevation  of  thought,  and 
in  the  products  of  genius,  on  canvas,  in  marble,  or 
in  some  oratorio  that  stirs  and  lifts  our  souls — all 
these  are  hints  of  that  which  is  immeasurably  su- 
perior. And  since  all  these  receive  their  inspiration 
from  an  infinite  mind,  and  borrow  their  light  from 
the  world  above,  they  kindle  in  us  an  inexpressible 
longing  to  pass  within  the  veil,  to  see  what  eye  has 
not  seen,  to  hear  what  ear  has  not  heard,  and  to 
enjoy  what  the  heart  of  man  cannot  comprehend. 


298  Christ's    Valedictory 

We  are  like  the  traveller  who  has  touched  the 
margin  of  great  natural  beauty,  and  glancing  down 
long  perspectives  of  splendor,  or  listening  to  the 
voices  of  music  that  come  from  distant  scenes,  is 
impatient  to  pass  from  the  quieter  beauty  to  that 
which  excels,  so  the  spiritual  pleasures  of  the  life 
which  now  is,  awaken  a  desire  for  that  existence 
which  is  higher  and  more  enduring,  always  making 
some  new  contribution  to  an  ecstatic  joy. 

3.  Then,  too,  the  unsatisfying  nature  of  present 
enjoyments  suggests  the  better  portion  of  the  future. 
There  is  nothing  here  that  exactly  fits  and  fills  the 
soul.  This  is  true  in  the  experience  of  all  classes, 
the  evil  and  the  good.  Conquest  failed  to  satisfy 
the  greatest  conquerors  the  world  has  known.  ''  Is 
this  all?"  was  the  bitter  exclamation  of  the  great 
Caesar  when  the  world  lay  in  submission  at  his 
feet.  The  most  unhappy  lives  are  those  that  have 
been  crowned  with  greatest  achievements.  The 
Czar  of  all  the  Russias  enjoys  less  than  his  drosky 
driver,  and  Tolstoi  than  his  amanuensis. 

Even  the  experiences  of  piety  are  similar.  The 
good  which  it  attains  is  unsatisfying.  Victory  over 
temptation  and  sin  brings  joy  that  is  succeeded  by 
a  longing  to  go  where  tempters  and  sin  are  forever 
unknown.  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was 
alike  oppressed  by  a  sense  of  responsibility  and  the 
emptiness  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him. 
When  we,  as  Christians,  have  found  some  desired 
retreat  from  vexing  care,  or  wearing  toil,  or  de- 


Our  Going  Hence  299 

pressing  disease,  or  financial  troubles  that  have 
made  long  furrows  in  our  souls,  we  do  not  realize 
the  rest  we  had  expected.  There  is  still  a  vacancy 
in  the  heart,  or  some  bitterness  in  the  life,  and  a 
reproving  voice  rouses  us  from  our  sad  musing, 
saying,  "  What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah  ?  " 

It  cannot  be  otherwise.  God  has  made  us  for 
Himself ;  and  we  cannot  be  at  rest  until  we  go  to 
Him.  As  Young,  in  his  "  Night  Thoughts, "  has 
expressed  it,  ''We  have  been  winged  by  heaven  to 
fly  at  infinite  and  reach  it  there  where  seraphs 
gather  immortality,  on  life's  fair  tree  fast  by  the 
throne  of  God."  Then,  evidently,  we  cannot  be 
satisfied  with  anything  less  than  that  for  which  we 
were  made.  The  soul  is  always  rising  to  greater 
heights,  enlarging  its  capacity  to  receive,  embrac- 
ing a  wider  view  of  its  possibilities,  and  experienc- 
ing a  stronger  impulse  toward  that  which  is  in- 
finite and  eternal ;  and,  even  in  the  Upper  Cham- 
ber of  communion  which  Christ,  our  hands  in  His, 
and  our  trustful  heads  on  His  breast,  we  hear  His 
word  persuasively  saying,  "Arise,  let  us  go 
hence. ' ' 

4.  The  undue  attachments  of  this  life  bid  us  go 
onward. 

We  may  love  too  well  our  earthly  homes  and  the 
beauty  which  adorns  them.  The  consciousness  of 
this,  when  it  comes  over  us,  carries  a  solemn  ad- 
monition with  it;  and  bids  our  thoughts  travel 
into  the  invisible  world  beyond. 


300  Christ's    Valedictory 

In  beautiful  England  there  are  many  who,  even 
with  existing  facilities  of  travel,  have  never  seen 
the  towers  of  London,  or  lingered  among  the 
beautiful  scenes  of  Rydal  Water.  Of  one  of  the 
Roman  Emperors,  who  reigned  for  three  and  twenty 
years,  it  is  recorded  that  the  longest  journey  he 
ever  made  was  from  his  palace  in  Rome  to  the 
quiet  and  rest  of  his  Lanurian  villa.  Let  us  not 
be  so  occupied  with  earthly  things  as  to  forget  the 
heavenly.  Thankful  for  the  temporal  blessings 
God  has  bestowed,  these  should  stimulate  our  souls 
to  make  long  journeys  into  the  country  where  our 
Inheritance  lies,  and  to  carry  its  spirit  in  our  hearts 
while  on  the  way  to  its  possession.  Hear  you  not 
the  voice  of  your  soul's  Beloved,  saying,  <*Long 
enough  have  you  tarried  in  this  mountain,  turn  you 
and  take  your  journey." 

The  good  we  now  enjoy  is  only  a  foretaste  of 
the  fullness  of  blessing  in  reserve,  and  is  not  de- 
signed to  detain  us  here,  but  to  urge  us  on.  It  is 
an  expression  of  Christ's  love  which  is  prophetic 
of  what  is  infinitely  better,  and  should  incite  us  to 
nobler  endeavor  ;  as  the  message  from  home,  which 
a  courier  has  been  commissioned  to  bring  to  the 
approaching  traveller,  quickens  the  steps  of  the 
latter  across  the  dividing  hills.  It  is  a  sad  sight  to 
see  Christians  grow  worldly;  occupied  wuth  per- 
ishable good ;  with  an  unsatisfying  portion ;  neg- 
lecting communion  with  Christ ;  intermitting  lov- 
ing service  for  Him ;  and  growing  remiss  in  that 


Our  Going  Hence  301 

soul-culture  which  increases  usefulness  here,  and 
adds  to  the  recompense  hereafter.  To  such  there 
comes  a  message  which  carries  with  it  a  gentle  re- 
buke they  should  heed,  "  Arise,  let  us  go  hence." 

5.  The  mystery  of  life  is  another  call  to  go  on- 
ward. There  are  secrets  in  nature,  in  providence, 
in  grace.  The  most  profound  are  those  which 
exist  in  the  spiritual  world.  It  is  because  of  our 
ignorance  that  we  cannot  solve  life's  enigmas,  and 
because  of  the  imperfection  of  our  faith  that  we 
cannot  see  afar  off.  We  have  learned  much  con- 
cerning matter  and  mind,  and  the  laws  which 
govern  both,  that  our  fathers  never  knew ;  but  we 
have  reached  only  the  borders  of  a  measureless 
realm.  We,  ourselves,  are  fearfully  and  wonder- 
fully made.  We  talk  about  organic  life,  but  can- 
not define  it ;  about  the  mind,  but  cannot  interpret 
its  action ;  about  the  soul,  but  cannot  determine 
its  properties,  or  mode  of  existence.  We  cannot 
tell  how  the  eye  sees,  or  the  ear  hears,  or  the  will 
controls  the  movements  of  the  body ;  or  just  what 
are  the  relations  which  the  soul  sustains  to  the  hu- 
man frame  in  which  it  dwells. 

So,  also,  mystery  enfolds  the  providences  of  God 
as  related  to  ourselves  and  others.  The  Psalmist 
said  that  God's  path  was  in  great  waters  and  His 
footsteps  were  not  known.  What  was  true  in  that 
day  is  true  in  ours.  But  some  of  God's  dealings 
with  us,  at  first  inscrutable,  are  interpreted  even 
here.      Jacob  understood,  when  Joseph's  wagons 


302  Christ's   Valedictory 

had  carried  him  down  to  Egypt,  why  God  had  led 
him  by  paths  dark  as  night,  and  painful  as  they 
were  hidden.  Bunyan's  allegory  interpreted  even 
to  him  the  Bedford  prison ;  and  Latimer's  joyful 
communings  with  God,  his  confinement  in  the  old 
London  tower.  In  some  distressing  experiences  of 
life  we  say,  **  All  things  are  against  us,"  and  learn, 
by  and  by,  that  all  things  were  for  us. 

But  there  are  many  questions  that  must  remain 
unsolved.  The  veil  will  not  be  lifted  while  life 
lasts.  The  providence  of  God  will  still  be  a  river 
whose  source  we  cannot  find,  and  its  end  out  of  our 
sight.  There  is  much  concerning  our  relations  to 
God,  to  one  another,  to  what  is  transpiring  in  the 
world  around  us ;  much  concerning  God  Himself, 
the  existence  of  sin,  the  person  of  Christ,  the  agony 
of  the  cross,  and  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
within  us,  which  is  unsolvable  mystery.  We  crave 
knowledge.  We  were  made  for  it.  We  cannot 
find  it  here.  There  are  great  heights  of  vision, 
immeasurable  realms  of  truth,  wondrous  unfold- 
ings  of  mystery,  awaiting  us  above ;  and  we  shall 
not  be  at  rest  until  Christ's  promise  has  been  ful- 
filled, "  Thou  shalt  know  hereafter." 

To  know  more  of  God  will  be  indescribable  joy. 
To  understand  why  Paradise  was  lost ;  why  re- 
gained ;  and  how  all  prophecy  had  a  meaning, 
and  ancient  symbols  a  significance,  and  altar-fires 
tongues  of  prophetic  flame,  and  Hebrew  rites  a 
spiritual  import  exceeding  all  our  conceptions ;  to 


Our  Going  Hence  303 

know  how  inspiration  guided  the  hands  that  wrote 
the  Scriptures ;  how  the  Godhead  was  linked  with 
our  humanity;  and  how  the  Holy  Spirit  entered 
and  moved  and  lifted  our  being ;  to  have  made 
plain  to  us  all  the  unintelligible  predictions  re- 
specting the  future  of  the  church  on  earth  and  its 
glory  in  heaven ;  to  learn  what  are  the  employ- 
ments, companionships  and  communings  of  the 
world  on  high ;  then,  moreover,  to  trace  in  mi- 
nutest details  all  the  windings  of  the  earthly  life, 
often  in  dark  recesses,  in  unexpected  solitudes,  and 
in  desert  places,  discovering  abounding  goodness 
in  it  all — this  will  enlarge  our  being,  and  fill  it 
with  wonder,  love  and  praise.  Therefore  we  hear, 
w4th  thankfulness,  the  voice,  and  respond  to  it, 
which  tells  of  an  uplifted  veil — "Arise,  let  us  go 
hence. ' ' 

6.  The  Christian's  hope  is  an  appeal  from  the 
world  to  come.  This  is  described  as  an  anchor 
cast  within  the  veil.  Paul  turned  his  face  toward 
the  future,  and,  discerning  intimations  of  his  early 
departure,  said,  "  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed 
and  am  persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that 
which  I  have  committed  unto  Him  against  that 
day."  The  humblest  Christian  may  feel  the  in- 
fluence of  the  same  blessed  hope.  There  may 
come  to  us,  through  the  weakness  of  our  faith,  or 
through  the  bhnding  influence  of  some  permitted 
sin,  a  season  of  despondency  and  fear ;  but  Jesus 
will  not  suffer  our  hope  to  be  utterly  destroyed,  nor 


304  Christ's    Valedictory 

our    now   penitent    souls   to   come   short   of    the 
promised  rest. 

There  is  an  incident  in  history  we  perhaps  often 
recall.  We  seem  to  hear  coming  to  us,  across  four 
hundred  years,  a  voice  clear  and  joyous,  sounding 
out  by  night,  from  the  deck  of  the  Pinta,  "Land  ! 
land,  seiior.  Land  ahead  !  "  and  the  neighboring 
ship  answers  with  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis.  The  sailor 
of  Genoa  believes  he  is  about  to  cast  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  his  anxious  search,  and  his  joy  is  almost 
greater  than  he  can  bear.  Every  eye  turns  toward  the 
West.  The  dim  oudines  of  a  continent,  with  moun- 
tain and  plain,  promontory  and  bay,  strange  beauty 
spreading  over  all,  seems  to  lie  in  peacefulness  on 
the  low  horizon,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  travel- 
lers. At  length  the  day  dawns  and  the  last  linger- 
ing shadows  pass  away ;  when  lo  !  it  is  discovered 
that  it  is  only  a  night  cloud  they  have  seen,  and  it 
quickly  disappears.  So  we  have  known  a  joyful 
hope  about  to  turn  to  despair.  Heaven  is  pro- 
nounced a  mirage  only ;  and  although  its  existence, 
for  some,  is  not  questioned,  for  them  it  is  seemingly 
as  a  dream  when  one  awaketh.  But  Jesus  pities 
them,  and  comes  to  their  relief.  It  is  only  a  little 
moment,  and  the  day  brightens.  They  see  the  coast- 
line of  the  better  country,  breathe  the  fragrance 
of  its  fields,  hear  low  voices  of  its  joy ;  and,  at  last, 
the  waters  calm,  and  the  King's  country  near,  the 
faithful  vessel  hastes  to  touch  the  shore,  and  a 
voice,  familiar  and  assuring,  welcomes  them  home. 


Our  Going  Hence  305 

Our  thoughts  of  late  have  been  much  occupied 
with  the  personal  Christ,  feeling  the  impulse  of 
His  life,  and  rejoicing  in  His  ineffable  love.  Our 
religion  is  not  a  philosophy  only ;  a  cold  abstrac- 
tion ;  a  pulseless  creed.  Its  great  power  lies  in 
the  personality  around  which  all  truth  gathers, 
from  which  our  spiritual  life  is  derived,  to  which 
our  hearts  cling.  Heaven  owes  its  chief  glory  and 
joy  to  the  presence  of  the  great  King,  to  whose 
person  the  redeemed  are  attached  by  ties  that  shall 
never  be  broken,  in  a  relationship  affectionate  as  it 
is  enduring. 

Our  nature  demands  some  object  of  supreme 
love.  It  was  Rousseau  who  said,  <'\Vere  I  in  a 
desert,  I  would  find  out  in  it  wherewith  to  call 
forth  my  affections.  If  I  could  do  no  better,  I 
would  fasten  them  upon  some  sweet  myrtle,  or  some 
melancholy  cypress.  I  would  love  it  for  its  shade, 
and  greet  it  kindly  for  its  protection.  I  would 
write  my  name  upon  it,  and  pronounce  it  the  sweet- 
est tree  in  all  the  desert.  If  its  leaves  withered,  I 
would  teach  myself  to  mourn  ;  and  if  it  rejoiced, 
I  would  rejoice  with  it." 

In  this  beautiful  passage  a  great  truth  finds  utter- 
ance. But  sentient  being  can  be  satisfied  only 
with  sentient  love.  A  living  person,  possessed  of 
moral  excellence;  responsive  to  our  most  ardent 
affection;  fitted  for  companionship  and  helpful 
ministry ;  above  ourselves,  yet  in  fullest  sympathy 
with  us;  ever  faithful,  loving  and  true; — such  a 


306  Christ's    Valedictory 

person  supplies  the  deepest  craving  of  the  natural 
heart. 

But  there  is  a  love  that  is  higher,  purer,  and 
more  overmastering  than  any  merely  human  affec- 
tion. Its  object  is  Jesus,  the  sum  of  all  excellence, 
the  source  of  all  blessing,  fairer  than  the  children 
of  men.  Our  hearts  answer  His.  He  first  loved 
us,  and  now  our  being  is  lost  in  His.  We  shall 
never  cease  to  praise  Him  for  the  grace  which 
stooped  and  won  our  hearts — in  years  recent  or 
long  past,  when 

"  Love  took  up  the  harp  of  life  and  smote  on  all  the  chords 

with  might, 
Smote  the  cord  of  self,  which  trembling,  passed  in  music 

out  of  sight." 

His  is  love  which  passes  knowledge.  His  tender 
farewell  moves  all  the  springs  of  our  being,  and 
the  hope  of  seeing  Him,  face  to  face,  brightens  our 
passage  across  this  low  and  often  shadowed  ground. 

With  these  heart-thoughts  we  close  our  medita- 
tions on  the  last  words  of  Jesus.  We  have  only 
touched  the  outer  edge  of  these  great  truths,  and 
have  seen  only  the  skirts  of  Christ's  glory.  We 
shall  know  Him  better,  and  love  Him  more,  when 
we  shall  have  gone  where  He  is.  We  have  long 
anticipated  that  happy  hour.  Ever  since  we  were 
born  again,  our  lives  have  been  a  continual  going 
hence.     We  have  declared  ourselves  pilgrims,  and 


Our  Going  Hence  30Y 

have  sought  a  city  to  come.  All  our  privileges 
along  the  way  ;  all  our  victories  over  tempters  and 
sin  ;  every  fresh  baptism  of  grace  which  made  glad 
our  souls ;  every  sorrow,  disappointment,  loss,  and 
each  grave  we  have  opened  for  our  dead,  have 
marked  a  further  stage  in  our  advance ;  and,  not 
caring  to  repeat  the  experiences  of  the  departed 
years,  we  are  glad  that  our  journeying  days  are 
nearly  ended.     For  many  of  us  this  is  true. 

And  now,  dear  reader,  the  evening  twilight  fad- 
ing, the  Beloved's  call  breaking  in  upon  the  ador- 
ing silence  of  our  souls,  and  the  night  coming  on ; 
having  sat  together  for  a  season  at  Jesus'  feet ;  my 
interest  in  you  increasing  as  the  hours  of  our  com- 
munion have  gone  by;  we  reluctantly  part,  but 
only  for  a  little  while.  We  shall  meet  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  renew  our  fellowship  where  the  day  shall 
never  darken  and  communion  with  Jesus,  and  with 
each  other  shall  never  end.  Until  the  day  dawn 
and  the  shadows  flee  away — Farewell ! 


THE   END 


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